S Korea President To Visit Us Monday, Address North Korea-russia Ties At Nato Summit

SEOUL, July 8 (Bernama-Yonhap) -- South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol will visit the United States (US) on Monday to attend a NATO summit in Washington, where he will address concerns about deepening defence cooperation between North Korea and Russia.

Yoon will be in Washington on Wednesday and Thursday to meet with NATO leaders to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine and enhance cooperation between the transatlantic security alliance and the Indo-Pacific region.

South Korea has been invited to the NATO summit for the third consecutive year as one of four Indo-Pacific partners, known as IP4, which includes Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.

"We will send a strong message regarding military cooperation between Russia and North Korea and discuss ways to enhance cooperation among NATO allies and IP4," Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Tae Hyo said on Friday.

The stakes are high for this year's summit, as South Korea has indicated it may consider sending weapons to Ukraine in response to the mutual defence treaty signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un last month.

Before the summit, Yoon will stop in Hawaii on Monday and Tuesday for a security briefing at the US Indo-Pacific Command and a meeting with South Korean residents on the island.

"His visit to the Indo-Pacific Command will demonstrate the strong alliance between South Korea and the US and provide an opportunity to elevate bilateral cooperation for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region," Kim said.

The US-led Rim of the Pacific Exercise, a joint maritime exercise involving 29 countries, including South Korea, has been underway in Hawaii since late June.

-- BERNAMA-YONHAP