Lee says depending on US for defense no longer valid, will boost economic ties

President Lee Jae Myung, center left, alongside his wife Kim Hea Kyung, arrives at Leonardo da Vinci International Airport in Fiumicino, just outside Rome, Wednesday (local time). Yonhap

President Lee Jae Myung said Korea's traditional reliance on the United States for defense is no longer valid and that the country will seek to become a partner capable of self-reliant defense.

Seoul will also work to expand its economic cooperation with the U.S., he added, calling it an important factor in what he called a new approach that he said will better serve Korea's national interest amid a shift in the geopolitical environment.

Lee made the remarks in an interview, published Thursday, with Corriere della Sera, Italy's most widely circulated daily newspaper, as he is currently on a visit to Italy as part of his first trip to Europe since taking office a year earlier.

Referring to Korea's traditional approach of relying on Washington for national security while maintaining close economic ties with Beijing, the country's largest trading partner, the president insisted such an approach was no longer valid.

"I believe such a dichotomous approach has lost its validity amid recent shifts in the geopolitical environment," he said, according to a transcript of his interview released by his office Cheong Wa Dae.

Under a new approach that Lee said will best serve Korea's national interests, Seoul will seek to expand its economic cooperation with Washington.

"Expanding our economic cooperation with the U.S. to high-tech sectors will be an important factor that enhances our industrial competitiveness," Lee said, citing what he called growing competition between Korean and Chinese firms due to the advancement of China's industrial and technological competitiveness.

He said the Korea-U.S. alliance remains "the basic axis" of Korea's diplomacy, stressing the need to strengthen autonomous capabilities as a way to modernize the alliance.

"Autonomous capabilities mean becoming a trustworthy partner that can take responsibility of its own defense without relying on an ally," the president noted.

Seoul's push to regain wartime operational control of Korean troops from Washington is in line with the new approach, he said, adding that it also aligns with what the U.S. wants.

Speaking on Korea-Italy relations, he said Seoul plans to enhance cooperation with Europe in high-tech manufacturing and strategic supply chains, adding that Italy is an ideal partner for Korea in future-oriented industries.

He expressed hope that his ongoing trip to Italy will provide an opportunity to strengthen the countries' bilateral strategic partnership.