NATO Chief Rutte, South Korean President Lee Hold Talks on Expanding Strategic Ties

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte held discussions with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung on Tuesday, underlining the growing strategic partnership between the alliance and Seoul amid shared global security concerns.

Following the talks, Rutte took to X to highlight the close cooperation between South Korea and NATO, stressing the deepening linkages between security in different regions.

According to a written briefing from presidential spokesperson Kim Nam-jun, the interaction took place at Rutte's request and marked the second exchange between the two leaders in the past seven months, Yonhap News reported.

During their phone call, the two leaders discussed maintaining their partnership and sustaining close coordination to respond to pressing global security challenges, including the war in Ukraine and security concerns on the Korean Peninsula, the Yonhap News Agency said.

Lee Highlights Defence Tech Strength, Proposes Practical Cooperation Framework

President Lee used the opportunity to draw attention to the advanced technological capabilities of South Korean defence firms and proposed advancing practical cooperation through a working-level consultative body established last year.

Rutte welcomed the suggestion and expressed full support for further strengthening collaboration in this domain.

The leaders also agreed to pursue deeper ties in other strategic areas, including space and information sharing, reflecting their mutual commitment to broader and more concrete engagement across multiple high-priority fields.

(With inputs from ANI)