President Lee Jae-myung will not attend the upcoming NATO summit in the Netherlands, citing pressing domestic issues and rising geopolitical instability in the Middle East. Presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung announced on Sunday that while Lee had considered attending the June 24-25 meeting in the Hague, he concluded that current circumstances made it untenable. South Korea is now coordinating with NATO on whether a different official will attend in his place.

The decision comes amid heightened tensions in the region following a U.S. military strike on Iranian nuclear facilities and growing concerns about the direction of NATO deliberations. Moreover, the upcoming