Lee calls for stronger NATO defense partnership

President Lee Jae-myung attended a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Ankara on Tuesday and Wednesday at the invitation of NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, making his first appearance at a NATO leaders' gathering since taking office. Speaking at the summit's inaugural defense industry forum, Lee urged NATO members to move beyond a conventional buyer-seller relationship and embrace what he called "Defense Partnership 2.0," built on jointly developing, producing and fielding defense systems.

Lee delivered a five-minute keynote address Tuesday during the NATO Defense Industry Forum, an official summit event held under the theme "Shared Values, Stronger Industrial Base." In a speech titled "The Republic of Korea and NATO's Defense Industrial Partnership," he described South Korea as a reliable defense partner that has strengthened its capabilities alongside NATO allies through shared values. He then proposed raising cooperation to the next stage through "Defense Partnership 2.0."

The proposal comes as NATO places growing emphasis on interoperability by expanding joint development, co-production, joint procurement and the adoption of common standards. The initiative could also create new opportunities for South Korea's defense industry to become part of NATO's broader defense supply network.

The defense industry forum was held for the first time in the history of NATO summits. With U.S. President Donald Trump pressing alliance members to increase defense spending to more than 5% of gross domestic product, NATO countries are boosting military budgets while investing more heavily in domestic arms production. Analysts say the changing landscape could help forge a stronger defense supply chain between South Korea and NATO members, which together account for about 55% of global military spending and represent the world's largest defense market.

Before the forum, Lee met with Rutte to discuss ways to deepen cooperation between South Korea and NATO. He later joined Rutte for a small-group meeting with the leaders of the Indo-Pacific Four, comprising Japan, Australia and New Zealand. The participants discussed expanding security cooperation between NATO and the IP4 countries.


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