Visiting the US for 5 days and 2 nights
Attending NATO Summit in Washington DC on 10th-11th
President Yoon Suk-yeol will embark on a 5-day, 2-night trip to the United States next week to attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit. On July 8-9, he will visit the United States Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii, and on July 10-11, he will attend the NATO summit held in Washington, D.C. This marks the first time a South Korean president has attended the NATO summit for three consecutive years.
Through this trip, President Yoon will actively work to secure South Korea's security interests encompassing the Korea-U.S. alliance, NATO, and the Indo-Pacific region. In particular, amid the situation where Russia and North Korea have signed a 'Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty' to strengthen their military and economic alliance, he plans to send a strong message to North Korea and Russia through solidarity with NATO, which shares democratic values.
Kim Tae-hyo, First Deputy Director of the National Security Office at the Presidential Office, stated at a briefing at the Yongsan Presidential Office on the 5th, "President Yoon and the First Lady are scheduled to visit Washington, D.C. from July 10 to 11 to attend the '2024 NATO Summit,'" adding, "They will discuss practical cooperation measures in security and defense industries through bilateral meetings with NATO member countries."
Upon arriving in Washington, D.C. on the 10th, President Yoon plans to hold a series of bilateral meetings with leaders from more than five NATO member countries, including the Czech Republic, Sweden, Finland, and Norway, as well as NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, to discuss various current issues as well as regional and international affairs.
A Presidential Office official explained regarding these bilateral meetings, "Discussions may cover defense industry cooperation, infrastructure, supply chain collaboration, and future nuclear cooperation, as well as matters related to national interests. While there are overlapping topics, some issues pertain only to specific countries, which is why bilateral meetings are being pursued."
Bilateral Meetings with NATO Member Countries... Cooperation in Security and Defense Industries
Finland and Norway, which border Russia, have introduced and operate South Korea's K9 self-propelled howitzers, and in the Czech Republic, South Korean companies have challenged the construction project of a new nuclear power plant in the Dukovany region.
On the evening of the 10th, President Yoon and the First Lady will attend a social dinner hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden and the First Lady, the host country of the summit. On the morning of the 11th, they will participate in the summit of the Indo-Pacific Four (IP4) partners of NATO?South Korea, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. It is expected that the IP4 summit will issue critical messages regarding military cooperation between North Korea and Russia. There is also an expectation that a joint message concerning Russia-North Korea military cooperation will be delivered not only by the 32 NATO allies but also at the Indo-Pacific level.
Kim Tae-hyo, the First Deputy Director of the National Security Office, is briefing on the afternoon of the 5th at the Yongsan Presidential Office building in Seoul regarding President Yoon Seok-yeol's visit to the 75th NATO Summit. [Image source=Yonhap News]
One of the biggest points of interest, whether the Korea-U.S., Korea-Japan, and Korea-U.S.-Japan summits will be held, has not yet been confirmed. A senior official from the Presidential Office said, "All possibilities are being kept open and discussions are ongoing, but it is uncertain what the outcome will be," adding, "Given the short time to handle multiple events, it is uncertain whether there will be enough time to hold separate meetings for Korea-U.S., Korea-Japan, and Korea-U.S.-Japan relations."
On the afternoon of the 11th, President Yoon will attend the 'NATO Public Forum,' co-hosted by NATO and five think tanks from the U.S. and Europe, where he will be the sole speaker for the Indo-Pacific session. This is the first time a South Korean president has spoken at this forum. President Yoon will diagnose the crisis factors of the current global security order and deliver a speech on cooperation measures between NATO and the IP4.
Visit to U.S. Indo-Pacific Command... Emphasizing the Korea-U.S. Alliance
Before attending the NATO summit, President Yoon will visit Honolulu, United States, on July 8-9. On the afternoon of the 8th, he will visit the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, where Korean War veterans are buried, to lay a wreath and preside over a dinner meeting with the Korean community.
On the morning of the 9th, he will visit the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command to receive a military and security briefing from Commander Samuel Paparo and encourage the troops stationed there. This will be President Yoon's third visit to the Indo-Pacific Command as a South Korean president.
Deputy Director Kim said, "The Pacific Command in Hawaii was visited by President Chun Doo-hwan in 1981 and President Kim Young-sam in 1995," adding, "It was renamed the Indo-Pacific Command in 2018, and it has been six years since the renaming. President Yoon is the first South Korean president to visit since the renaming." He emphasized, "President Yoon's visit to the Indo-Pacific Command will demonstrate the strong bond of the Korea-U.S. alliance and serve as an opportunity to elevate Korea-U.S. cooperation for peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region to a new level."
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