NATO summit crucial to deal with NK-Russia ties
President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson during a summit between North Atlantic Treaty Organization members and their Indo-Pacific partner countries in Vilnius, Lithuania, July 12, 2023. Joint Press Corps
South Korea is facing increasing pressure to use the upcoming NATO summit as leverage to manage the strengthened ties between North Korea and Russia.
This year’s NATO summit is scheduled to take place in Washington from July 9 to 11. While Seoul’s presidential office has not yet announced whether President Yoon Suk Yeol will attend the event, South Korea was invited by NATO in April as one of the AP4 countries, which are non-NATO partners in the Indo-Pacific region, including Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.
If Yoon attends the summit, it will mark his third participation in the gathering of Washington’s European allies.
During his attendance at last year’s summit in Lithuania, Yoon called for NATO’s united response to North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs, stressing that Pyongyang’s belligerence also poses an “actual threat” to European countries.
In response, NATO members condemned North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs in their communiqué for the first time in five years.
Over the past year, as Yoon has pointed out, Pyongyang has increasingly posed a threat to European countries. According to Kyiv’s defense ministry, North Korea has supplied at least 1.8 million rounds of 122- and 155-millimeter shells to Russia for use in the war against Ukraine. Additionally, North Korea has recently enhanced its military cooperation with Moscow through a significant treaty that includes mutual defense assistance in the event of an attack on either party.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un exchange documents during a signing ceremony of the new partnership in Pyongyang, North Korea, June 19. AP-Yonhap
This background offers South Korea an opportunity to raise NATO's awareness of North Korean threats during this year's summit, and to advocate for cooperative measures between democracies in Northeast Asia and Europe to counteract military ties between Pyongyang and Moscow.
“With Russian President Vladimir Putin threatening to change Moscow’s nuclear doctrine, this year’s NATO summit will likely place the war in Ukraine as its top agenda again,” said Hong Min, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification. “In doing so, it is natural for NATO members to prioritize discussions on North Korea’s arms supply to Russia and the recent Pyongyang-Moscow treaty."
During a June 24 press briefing, James O'Brien, U.S. assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, said, “The security concerns faced in the Indo-Pacific are very similar to those that are faced in NATO's Article 5 territory,” and added, “It makes sense to share lessons and to work together against similar collective threats.”
NATO’s Article 5 states that if an ally becomes the target of an armed attack, each member of the alliance considers it an attack on all and commits to taking appropriate actions to aid the ally under attack.
President Yoon Suk Yeol arrives in Vilnius, Lithuania, to attend a summit between North Atlantic Treaty Organization members and their Indo-Pacific partner countries, July 12, 2023. Korea Times photo by Seo Jae-hoon
The remarks are seen as part of U.S. efforts to bolster ties between NATO and its Indo-Pacific allies. If Washington underscores this idea during the NATO summit, there is a strong possibility that Seoul, especially if Yoon attends, will echo that view.
“If the U.S. stresses the necessity of stronger pressure against weaponry cooperation (between North Korea and Russia) and South Korea’s unyielding stance against the Pyongyang-Moscow treaty, Seoul can respond by expressing its strong support and commitment to counter the North’s provocations and the treaty, as well as promising tighter coalitions with its friendly nations,” Hong said.
"Whatever the specifics may be, it is important for South Korea to align its stance with that of the U.S. regarding the NATO summit. However, South Korea should avoid making excessive proposals, such as providing lethal weapons to Ukraine or proposing a cooperation scheme that involves NATO actions in the Far East region."