Seoul: President Lee Jae Myung will not attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit scheduled for this week in the Netherlands, citing domestic priorities and growing uncertainty in the Middle East, the presidential office said Sunday. Lee had initially considered participating in the summit, which is set to take place from Tuesday to Wednesday in The Hague, with hopes of meeting U.S. President Donald Trump to discuss trade tariffs and security issues.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Lee ultimately decided not to attend the NATO summit following the United States' recent strikes on three nuclear sites in Iran, marking a major escalation in the ongoing war between Iran and Israel. The presidential office noted that despite the numerous pressing state affairs following the president's inauguration, the government had actively considered his attendance at the NATO summit.

Presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung stated in a written briefing that after comprehensively reviewing various domestic matters and the volatile situation in the Middle East, the president decided against attending the summit. The potential participation of other government officials will be discussed in consultation with NATO.

Last week, President Lee attended the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Canada during his first overseas trip since his inauguration on June 4. He was scheduled to have a one-on-one meeting with Trump on the sidelines of the G7 summit, but it did not take place as Trump departed early to respond to the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.

This decision marks South Korea's first absence from the NATO summit in four years. The country had attended the summit for the past three years under the previous conservative administration of President Yoon Suk Yeol, which maintained closer alignment with the U.S. under former U.S. President Joe Biden. At this year's summit, NATO members are expected to agree to raise their defense spending targets to 5 percent of gross domestic product, in response to demands from Trump.