The Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Belgium, Yoon Soongu, met with Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at NATO Headquarters on Tuesday (22 November 2022), at an official ceremony marking the establishment of the Republic of Korea’s Diplomatic Mission to NATO. This follows the agreement by the North Atlantic Council in September on the Republic of Korea’s decision to designate its Embassy to Belgium as the country’s Mission to NATO.
The Republic of Korea is an active NATO partner. Since 2005, the Alliance and Seoul have developed a strong partnership, based on shared values. Political dialogue and practical cooperation are being developed across areas including non-proliferation, cyber defence, counter-terrorism, security-related civil science projects, interoperability, chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) defence, as well as civil preparedness, resilience and disaster relief.
NATO’s New Strategic Concept – approved at the NATO Summit held in Madrid in July – highlights the importance of the Indo-Pacific region for NATO, given that developments in that region can directly affect Euro-Atlantic security. It also underscores the commitment undertaken by Allied leaders to strengthen dialogue and cooperation with new and existing partners in the Indo-Pacific to tackle cross-regional challenges and shared security interests.