When Did South Korea's Relationship with NATO Begin? [News Seolcham]

South Korea's Cooperation with NATO Began in 2006
Invited to the Summit as Part of the "Indo-Pacific Four"
Attended for Three Consecutive Years, but Leaders Absent This Year

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The NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) summit, which was attended on behalf of President Lee Jaemyung by National Security Advisor Wi Sunglak, took place on June 24-25. This annual meeting gathers heads of state or government from NATO member countries to discuss the alliance's strategic agenda. Although South Korea is not a NATO member, it has been invited every year since 2022 as a partner under the "IP4 (Indo-Pacific Four)" framework.

'IP4' Status Established in 2022... Emerging as a Key Partner

Since most NATO members are European countries, the summit's agenda has traditionally focused on European and Middle Eastern security. However, NATO has recently begun expanding its activities into the Asia-Pacific region. As part of this effort, the IP4 partner group was established in 2016, referring to the Western allies in the Indo-Pacific: Australia, Japan, South Korea, and New Zealand.

These countries are not NATO members but have been invited to the summit every year since 2022 as "security partners." Excluding Australia, which did not participate in the 2024 summit, all IP4 leaders have attended a total of three NATO summits through last year.

South Korea's 19-Year Cooperation with NATO... From North Korea Sanctions to Security Collaboration

South Korea began a full-fledged partnership with NATO in 2006, following then Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon's visit to NATO headquarters at the end of 2005. Until now, cooperation between South Korea and NATO has focused on issues related to North Korea, such as pressure and sanctions against Pyongyang and compliance with nuclear non-proliferation. However, after the United States declared its "Pivot to Asia" policy under the Barack Obama administration in 2011, South Korea's importance on the international stage increased. As global security instability grew?due to US-China rivalry and Russia's invasion of Ukraine?NATO member states recognized the need to strengthen cooperation with IP4 countries.

In 2024, when North Korean troops were dispatched to Russia, collaboration between South Korea and NATO became even closer. Former President Yoon Sukyeol, attending last year's NATO summit, condemned the situation by stating, "The war in Ukraine and Russia-North Korea military cooperation simultaneously threaten the security of both Europe and the Indo-Pacific region." NATO also emphasized, "Developments in the Indo-Pacific have a direct impact on Euro-Atlantic security," adding, "We will strengthen dialogue and cooperation with Australia, Japan, South Korea, and New Zealand."

At last year's summit, IP4 leaders held a five-way meeting with former President Joe Biden and agreed to expand cooperation beyond traditional security to include new technology sectors such as quantum computing and cybersecurity.

This Year, Leaders of South Korea, Japan, and Australia Did Not Attend

This year marks the fourth consecutive invitation for IP4 partners, but an unusual situation occurred as the leaders of three out of the four partner countries did not attend in person. In a briefing on June 22, the Presidential Office stated, "Despite numerous pressing domestic issues, the government actively considered President Lee's attendance at this NATO summit. However, after comprehensive consideration of various domestic matters and uncertainties arising from the situation in the Middle East, it was decided that the President would not attend in person this time." Instead, National Security Advisor Wi attended the summit on behalf of President Lee and held talks with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and others.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also did not attend the summit, sending Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles in his place. In Japan, Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi was confirmed to attend on behalf of Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru. Both countries have recently experienced friction with the Donald Trump administration over issues such as tariffs and defense budgets. Japan entered into mutual tariff negotiations with the United States in April, but there has been no progress to date, while Australia clashed with the US over the issue of increasing its defense budget.