South Korea's president calls for 'speedier cooperation' at NATO defense forum in Türkiye

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung called Tuesday for "speedier cooperation" at the NATO Summit Defense Industry Forum in Türkiye.

In a keynote address, Lee stressed the need to strengthen defense industry cooperation between South Korea and NATO, according to Yonhap News Agency.

He proposed expanding joint research between South Korea and the alliance on cutting-edge technologies, building on their existing ammunition and space cooperation programs.

"The security capabilities of both sides will be greatly strengthened when NATO's decades of know-how is combined with the reliable production capacity and proven technological prowess of the Republic of Korea," Lee said in a session titled "Shared Values, Stronger Industrial Base."

"Deterrence now hinges not only on the ability to produce weapons rapidly and reliably, but also on the resilience of global supply chains," he said, adding that "in this new era, a nation's survival rests on the foundations of its defense industry. That is why we must discuss cooperation today."

Lee also proposed upgrading bilateral defense cooperation to a "Korea-NATO Defense Industry Partnership 2.0," moving beyond the current focus on arms sales to joint research, production and operation of defense systems.

He expressed hope that the spirit of the International Energy Agency's joint management of strategic petroleum reserves could be applied to the defense industry, calling for the development of a similar cooperative mechanism.

"The Republic of Korea will remain your most trusted partner. As a security cooperation partner dedicated to safeguarding global peace and prosperity, we will advance vigorously with NATO toward the goal of a safer world," he added.

The summit in Ankara is bringing together leaders of the 32-member alliance as well as key partners to discuss Europe's defense capacity, NATO's defense spending targets, military modernization and continued support for Ukraine.

The Ankara meeting marks the second NATO summit hosted by Türkiye following the 2004 Istanbul summit. The gathering also provides a platform for bilateral meetings between Türkiye and allied countries on political, security and economic cooperation.