Ankara: South Korean President Lee Jae Myung emphasized the necessity of enhancing collaboration between South Korea and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on Tuesday. He asserted that integrating NATO's extensive experience with South Korea's advanced defense technology would enhance the security capabilities of both entities.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Lee delivered these remarks during his keynote speech at the NATO Summit Defense Industry Forum, which took place alongside the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey. The summit is scheduled from Tuesday to Wednesday. In his session titled "Shared Values, Stronger Industrial Base," Lee highlighted that combining NATO's decades of expertise with South Korea's reliable production capacity and technological prowess would significantly bolster the security capabilities of both parties.
Lee addressed the current global landscape characterized by geopolitical conflicts and emphasized the critical role of advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence and drones, in modern warfare. He noted that deterrence now relies not only on the rapid and reliable production of weapons but also on the resilience of global supply chains. The president pointed out that national security now extends to laboratories where advanced technologies are developed and industrial sites where weapons are manufactured, stressing the importance of cooperation in this new era.
In a call for more decisive and quicker collaboration, Lee proposed expanding joint research between South Korea and NATO on cutting-edge technologies, building on their existing ammunition and space cooperation programs. He further suggested elevating bilateral defense cooperation from its current focus on weapons system transactions to a "Korea-NATO Defense Industry Partnership 2.0," which would involve joint research, production, and operation of these systems.
Lee referenced the cooperative management of strategic petroleum reserves by International Energy Agency members and expressed hope for similar mechanisms in the defense industry. He assured that South Korea would remain a trusted partner, dedicated to safeguarding global peace and prosperity, and committed to advancing with NATO toward the goal of a safer world.