South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte held a telephone conversation on Thursday, the country's presidential office said. South Korea's leader and Rutte discussed deepening the partnership between the alliance and Seoul.
Previously, South Korea and NATO agreed to form a working body on defense industry cooperation, amid long-standing tensions with North Korea.
Officially, South Korea is one of NATO's partner countries in the Indo-Pacific region, along with Australia, Japan, and New Zealand. In 2022, the country opened its diplomatic mission to NATO.
