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| President Yoon Suk-yeol shakes hands with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg during their meeting at the 2022 NATO Summit in Madrid, Spain, June 30. Joint Press Corps |
By Nam Hyun-woo
South Korea's request to set up a mission to NATO was approved, offering greater chances for Seoul to expand its strategic and security cooperation with the largest military alliance in the world.
According to its website on Wednesday (local time), the North Atlantic Council (NAC), the top decision-making body of NATO, agreed on Monday to accept South Korea's request to designate its Embassy to Belgium as the country's mission to NATO.
"This is an important step in NATO's strong partnership with the Republic of Korea," the website read. "Since 2005, the Alliance (NATO) and Seoul have developed a strong partnership, based on shared values."
It continued that the two sides' dialogues and cooperation are being developed in areas including nuclear non-proliferation, cyber defense, counterterrorism, security-related civil science projects, interoperability and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) defense, as well as civil preparedness, resilience and disaster relief.
South Korea's Ambassador to Belgium Yoon Soon-gu will lead Seoul's mission to NATO.
The approval came after the South Korean government announced its plan to set up the mission, on the occasion of President Yoon Suk-yeol's attendance at the 2022 NATO Summit in Madrid, Spain, in June.
South Korea is not a member of the military alliance but stands as a partner nation. Japan, Australia and New Zealand are also NATO partner countries in the Asia-Pacific region, and the three countries have already set up their own missions to the alliance.
On the sidelines of the NATO Summit, the four Asia-Pacific partner nations held a four-way summit, in which their leaders exchanged opinions on cooperation to counter security threats.
South Korea's mission to NATO will play a role in Seoul's efforts to contribute to global security matters. While proposing the plan, National Security Office Director Kim Sung-han said the mission will be "a diplomatic platform in Europe enhancing networks with allied nations and partner countries."
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| Ambassador Kim Gunn, Seoul's special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, right, poses with NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana, during their meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, Tuesday (local time). Courtesy of Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
Meanwhile, Ambassador Kim Gunn, Seoul's special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, attended the NAC+4 meeting in Brussels on Tuesday (local time).
NAC+4 refers to 30 NATO members, the four Asia-Pacific partner countries and two European nations ― Finland and Sweden ― seeking entry into the alliance.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kim told participants that North Korea is intensifying its nuclear and missile ambitions by legislating its use of nuclear weapons and firing a total of 32 ballistic missiles this year alone.
The ministry said the special representative introduced the South Korean government's direction in responding to the threats and detailed Yoon's proposal to North Korea, dubbed the "audacious initiative," which is aimed at providing socio-economic support to North Korea in order to entice the regime's denuclearization.
While explaining this, Kim stressed that it is important for North Korea to understand that the international community's commitment to denuclearization is greater than Pyongyang's ambition for nuclear weapons.
Participants said that the North's nuclear threats are tied to the security of Europe, and the shared recognition that they should not neglect Pyongyang's nuclear risks amid the Russia-Ukraine war.
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