South Korea’s cooperation with NATO goes back nearly two decades, starting when they first initiated a dialogue in 2005 on ways to uphold the rules-based international order.
Our Lee Shi-hoo highlights the history of the partnership bolstered through the years.
South Korea’s cooperation with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization dates back to 2005 when their first dialogue began.
A year later in 2006, South Korea became a non-member partner state of the alliance.
The partnership has strengthened over the years, and South Korea today is one of the major NATO partners in the Indo-Pacific.
But how exactly did Seoul, located halfway across the globe from Europe and the Atlantic, come to establish a comprehensive partnership with its allies in responding to emerging issues?
In 2012, Seoul signed the Individual Partnership and Cooperation Program which laid out the first key areas of cooperation including cyber defense and anti-terrorism.
But the major milestones came in more recent years amid growing global geopolitical tensions.
In June of 2022, President Yoon, shortly after his inauguration, attended the NATO summit in Spain.
This marked the first attendance by a South Korean president.
In November of the same year, Seoul established a Diplomatic Mission to NATO at its Brussels headquarters.
This mission aims to facilitate enhanced dialogue and information sharing.
By 2023, the key areas of cooperation agreed upon in 2012 were developed into more concrete objectives with a detailed schedule for practical implementation.
They named it the Individually Tailored Partnership Program.
Today, Seoul and NATO prioritize cooperation in cyber defense, new technologies, and arms control, including the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, as well as other shared cross-regional issues not just limited to defense.
It’s expected that Yoon’s third summit attendance this year will facilitate the joint efforts of South Korea, a “global pivotal state” and its like-minded allies
in promoting the common values of freedom, peace, and prosperity.
Lee Shi-hoo, Arirang News.
Source : Arirang TV, https://www.arirang.com/news/view?id=273139
Arirang TV(public institution's name)'s public work is used according to KOGL