President Lee Jae Myung returned home Saturday after attending this year's North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Ankara and paying a state visit to Mongolia, according to Yonhap News.

Lee attended the NATO summit on Tuesday and Wednesday in his first appearance at the annual gathering since taking office in June last year. His participation facilitated the launch of negotiations on a South Korea-NATO procurement framework agreement as the president sought to expand bilateral defense cooperation beyond arms exports to joint defense production and development.

During his state visit to Mongolia — the first by a South Korean president in 15 years — Lee held a summit with Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh and agreed to expand cooperation in supply chains, including in critical minerals, as well as in other economic and cultural areas. The two leaders also declared the start of a "golden era" in South Korea-Mongolia cooperation, outlining a shared vision for expanding bilateral cooperation.

Back in Seoul, Lee is expected to accelerate the implementation of his policy agenda in the second year of his five-year term, including the "three mega projects" aimed at investing in a semiconductor production cluster and other advanced industrial facilities.

Coverage Comparison

Yonhap News — English provided multiple reports on Lee's engagements, each focusing on different aspects of his trip.

One report from Ankara detailed Lee's summit with Romanian President Nicusor Dan on Wednesday, held on the sidelines of the NATO summit. In that meeting, Lee described Romania as "an important partner of cooperation" for South Korea, noting growing cooperation in trade and the defense industry. He said Seoul seeks to expand such cooperation beyond defense into other sectors, including nuclear power, and invited Dan to visit South Korea. Dan highlighted a Romanian defense project involving South Korea's Hanwha Group, as well as nuclear power plant refurbishment projects involving South Korean companies, and invited Lee to visit Romania.

Another Yonhap report focused on Lee's proposal of a "Korea-NATO Defense Industry Partnership 2.0" at the NATO Summit Defense Industry Forum. That report noted that Seoul and NATO agreed to launch negotiations on a Basic Procurement Agreement, which could establish an institutional foundation for Korean firms to participate in NATO's common procurement market — estimated to be worth around 15 trillion won ($9.95 billion) annually. It also stated that Korea's participation in multinational NATO projects has expanded beyond ammunition cooperation.

Key Claims

  • President Lee Jae Myung held a summit with Romanian President Nicusor Dan on Wednesday.
  • The meeting took place on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara.
  • Lee described Romania as "an important partner of cooperation" for South Korea and said Seoul seeks to expand bilateral cooperation beyond the defense industry.
  • Dan highlighted a Romanian defense project involving South Korea's Hanwha Group.
  • Lee proposed the "Korea-NATO Defense Industry Partnership 2.0," calling for joint research, production, and operation of advanced weapons systems.
  • Seoul and NATO agreed to launch negotiations on a Basic Procurement Agreement.
  • NATO's common procurement market is estimated to be worth around 15 trillion won ($9.95 billion) annually.
  • Korea's participation in multinational NATO projects has expanded beyond ammunition cooperation.
  • Lee returned home after the NATO summit and a state visit to Mongolia.
  • Lee held a summit with Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh and agreed to expand cooperation in supply chains, including critical minerals.
  • The two leaders declared the start of a "golden era" in South Korea-Mongolia cooperation.