▲ South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik (C, first row) and the representatives of eight member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization pose for a photo after their meeting at the defense ministry building in Seoul on Dec. 13, 2023, in this photo provided by Shin's office. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

defense chief-NATO delegation

Defense chief meets 8 NATO representatives to expand security, defense industry cooperation

SEOUL, Dec. 13 (Yonhap) -- Defense Minister Shin Won-sik met representatives of eight member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on Wednesday to expand cooperation in security and the defense industry, the defense ministry said.

Shin held the meeting with the NATO representatives of the United States, Britain, Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Romania and Poland, who began a three-day visit to Seoul earlier in the day.

Their rare visit to South Korea, which is not a NATO member state, is seen as part of NATO's efforts to bolster regional security cooperation with South Korea in the Indo-Pacific, after President Yoon Suk Yeol's consecutive participation in two NATO summits last year and this year.

During the meeting, Shin explained the security situation on the Korean Peninsula and shared the consensus that the international community's coordination is necessary to deter and respond to North Korea's provocations, according to the ministry.

"The forces threatening South Korea, including North Korea, will face resolute responses not only from the South Korea-U.S. alliance but also from the international community, including NATO," Shin was quoted as saying.

The two sides agreed that security cooperation between South Korea and NATO will contribute to global peace and stability, and vowed to implement practical cooperation measures to deepen their ties, the ministry said.

The NATO delegation promised to actively support collaboration with South Korea in security areas and the defense industry going forward, it noted.

In light of adopting the Individually Tailored Partnership Program in July, South Korea and NATO have been stepping up collaboration in 11 areas ranging from antiterrorism and nonproliferation to emerging technologies and cyberdefense.

Last month, South Korea attended NATO's flagship annual cyber exercise, called Cyber Coalition 2023, held in Estonia for the first time to enhance collaboration in the cyberspace domain.

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