South Korean president to attend NATO summit in Lithuania next week

ANKARA

South Korean President Yoon Suk will attend the NATO summit in Lithuania next week, according to a statement Thursday from his office.

Yoon will depart for Poland on a three-day visit after the summit, his office said, according to Soul-based Yonhap News.

He will visit the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius from Monday to Wednesday to meet NATO leaders and discuss regional and global issues, including the Russia-Ukraine war and cooperation between the security alliance and the Indo-Pacific region.

The South Korean leader will also hold bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit, with talks underway to set up a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

The meeting with Kishida could include Japan's Fukushima water discharge plan.

Yoon became the first South Korean leader to attend a NATO summit as an observer in Spain last June.
During his Poland visit, Yoon will hold a summit with Polish President Andrzej Duda.

Rebutting speculation that Yoon could visit Ukraine and meet President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a presidential official told reporters there are no such plans.