South Korea and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) have agreed to establish a director-general level consultative body on defense industry cooperation, the presidential office said Thursday. The agreement was reached during a meeting between National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on the sidelines of the NATO summit in the Hague, where Wi delivered a personal letter from President Lee Jae-myung explaining his absence and reaffirming Seoul’s commitment to deepening the partnership.

According to the presidential office, both sides agreed to enhance cooperation through South Korea’s participation in NATO’s High Visibility Projects, including joint defense development and procurement initiatives. Wi also attended a session with the Indo-Pacific 4 (IP4) countries, which produced a joint statement pledging greater collaboration on defense production, supply chains and interoperability. Seoul emphasized its role as a reliable defense partner and expressed interest in standardization alignment with NATO systems.