▲ President Lee Jae Myung (R) and first lady Kim Hea Kyung leave Italy's Leonardo da Vinci International Airport for Geneva in this June 16, 2026, file photo. (Yonhap)

(LEAD) president-overseas trip

(LEAD) Lee to visit Turkey, Mongolia next week for NATO summit, talks with Mongolian president

(ATTN: UPDATES with more info from 5th para)

SEOUL, July 3 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Jae Myung will visit Turkey next week to attend a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit, followed by a state visit to Mongolia, where he will hold talks with his Mongolian counterpart, Seoul's national security adviser said Friday.

Lee will first travel to Ankara to attend the NATO leaders' summit from Tuesday to Wednesday before flying to Ulaanbaatar for a state visit from Thursday to Saturday, National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac told a briefing.

Lee's attendance at the NATO gathering comes at the invitation of NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, according to Wi.

His visit to Mongolia, which comes at the invitation of President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh, will mark the first visit by a South Korean president to the country in 15 years and will include a summit with the Mongolian president.

This year's NATO summit, which will bring together leaders from the alliance's 32 member states and invited partner countries, including South Korea, comes as member nations are moving to ramp up defense spending amid growing global security instability, including the Russia-Ukraine war and the Middle East conflict.

The national security adviser said Lee's participation in the NATO summit will be part of South Korea's efforts to expand defense industry cooperation with NATO allies, which together account for about 55 percent of global defense spending and represent the world's largest defense market.

During his two-day trip to Turkey, Lee will hold a meeting with the NATO chief and attend a joint meeting of NATO's Indo-Pacific partners, including Japan, Australia and New Zealand. The South Korean leader will also take part in a defense industry forum, according to Wi.

Lee will deliver a keynote speech at a NATO summit session and participate in a dinner banquet hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

In Ulaanbaatar, Lee will hold a summit with President Khurelsukh, where the two leaders will declare a "golden era of South Korea-Mongolia relations," outlining a shared vision for the future of bilateral ties, the security adviser said.

He will attend a South Korea-Mongolia business forum aimed at exploring economic cooperation between the two countries. The president is also scheduled to meet with the Mongolian prime minister and parliamentary speaker.

On the last day of his trip, Lee will attend the opening ceremony of this year's Naadam Festival, Mongolia's largest and most significant cultural celebration, as a special guest, the security chief said.

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