President Lee Jae-myung will not attend the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) summit, which will be held in The Hague, Netherlands, for two days starting on the 24th (local time), the presidential office announced on the 22nd. This decision was made considering the urgent international situation, including the armed conflict between Israel and Iran and the U.S. attacking Iranian nuclear facilities. It is the first time since receiving an invitation in 2022 that the Korean leader will not attend the NATO summit.
The Deputy Minister for National Security, Wi Seong-rak, noted during a written briefing that "the government has actively considered the President's attendance at the NATO summit despite the numerous domestic issues that arose right after the inauguration." He added, "However, after comprehensively considering various domestic issues and uncertainties arising from the Middle Eastern situation, it was decided that the President would not attend in person this time."
However, there is a possibility that a government official will attend instead of the President. The Deputy Minister stated, "We plan to discuss the attendance of other government officials with NATO."
President Lee reportedly struggled over whether to attend the NATO summit until the last minute and had prepared leaning towards participation. This raised concerns that if the Korean leader does not attend, it could be interpreted as a "shift in diplomatic direction." In a situation where NATO has recently emphasized a joint response from the "free camp" to counter Russia and China, Korea's absence could give the impression that it contradicts this stance.
NATO has invited Korea for the fourth consecutive year since 2022. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Korea, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand (IP4, four Indo-Pacific partners) have been invited. Former President Yoon Suk-yeol attended for three consecutive years. At that time, there were concerns among the opposition (Democratic Party of Korea and other progressive groups) that it could be a setback in relations with Russia and China. These countries, along with North Korea, had also expressed critical views regarding Korea's attendance at NATO during the previous administration.
For these reasons, it is reported that opinions within the presidential office regarding attendance at the summit have diverged. In this situation, the U.S. airstrike on Iran has reportedly become a decisive factor in the Korean government's absence. Initially, the Deputy Minister had scheduled a briefing related to the attendance at 3 p.m. that day. However, the briefing was canceled, and about three hours later, around 6:20 p.m., a written statement announcing the absence from the summit was released in the Deputy Minister's name.