Yoon to meet NATO chief, US defense secretary next week

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol (left) shakes hands with North Atlantic Treaty Organization Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg prior to their talks at the IFEMA Convention Center in Madrid, in this June 30, 2022, file photo. Yoon discussed South Korea's plans to enter into a new partnership agreement with the organization and open a mission to NATO in Belgium. (Yonhap)

President Yoon Suk Yeol plans to hold meetings next week with Jens Stoltenberg, secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, a presidential official said Thursday.

The NATO chief and the US defense secretary are set to visit Seoul next week, and the presidential office is making arrangements for meetings with Yoon, the official told Yonhap News Agency.

During the meetings, Yoon is expected to reaffirm his commitment to strengthening the solidarity with the international community to counter global crises. Nuclear and missile threats from North Korea, and other regional and international security matters could also be discussed.

South Korea has strengthened its partnership with NATO by establishing its diplomatic mission to NATO last November. Yoon attended a NATO summit in June last year, becoming the first South Korean leader to have taken part in the summit. (Yonhap)