President Lee Departs for Turkey, Mongolia Trip

By Park Boram

SEOUL, July 7 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung departed Tuesday for Turkey, the first leg of his two-nation trip where he will attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit before heading to Mongolia.

The presidential aircraft carrying Lee took off from Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, south of Seoul, en route to Ankara, where the leaders of the NATO's 32 member countries, including U.S. President Donald Trump, will gather for the summit from Tuesday to Wednesday.

Lee will attend the NATO summit at the invitation of the alliance's Secretary General Mark Rutte. He will also hold a meeting with the NATO chief shortly after arriving in Ankara.

Lee will subsequently hold a meeting with representatives of Japan, Australia and New Zealand -- the three countries that, together with South Korea, make up NATO's Indo-Pacific Four (IP4), according to the presidential office.

Later Tuesday, Lee is scheduled to deliver a keynote speech at a defense industry forum on the sidelines of the NATO summit, joining a session titled "Shared Values, Stronger Industrial Base."

On Wednesday, Lee is expected to hold a series of bilateral meetings with participating leaders, as South Korea seeks to expand its presence in the world's biggest defense market.

This year's NATO summit comes as member nations are moving to ramp up defense spending amid growing global security instability, including the Russia-Ukraine war and the Middle East conflict.

From Thursday to Saturday, Lee will pay a state visit to Mongolia at the invitation of President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh, beginning with a summit with the Mongolian leader on the first day.

The two leaders plan to declare a "golden era of South Korea-Mongolia relations," outlining a shared vision for the future of bilateral ties, according to Cheong Wa Dae.

Also on Thursday, the South Korean president will attend a South Korea-Mongolia business forum aimed at exploring economic cooperation between the two countries.

On Saturday, Lee will attend the opening ceremony of this year's Naadam Festival, Mongolia's largest and most significant cultural celebration, as a special guest before heading home.

Lee's scheduled visit to Mongolia will mark the first visit by a South Korean president to the country in 15 years.