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Wi Seong-rak, Director of the National Security Office, holds a briefing on President Lee Jae-myung’s participation in the G7 summit at a press center in Calgary, Canada, on June 17. / Source: Yonhap News

Wi Seong-rak, Director of South Korea’s National Security Office, has departed for the NATO summit in place of President Lee Jae-myung, drawing attention to his diplomatic role at the high-level gathering.

President Lee reportedly made a last-minute decision not to attend the summit himself, instead dispatching Wi—one of the administration’s highest-ranking foreign affairs and security officials—to reaffirm South Korea’s commitment to its NATO allies and Indo-Pacific partners. The move is seen as an effort to dispel any negative perceptions surrounding Lee’s absence.

According to the presidential office on June 24, Wi will attend the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, held June 24–25, where he will meet with NATO member and partner nations to discuss global security developments.

NATO’s official schedule shows that Wi is expected to attend the “IP4” (Indo-Pacific Four) session on June 25 at 2:30 p.m., chaired by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. U.S. President Donald Trump is also scheduled to participate in this meeting.

Other representatives attending the IP4 session include Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles of Australia, standing in for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, representing Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.

Wi is expected to deliver a personal message from President Lee to Trump and will also hold separate bilateral meetings with leaders such as NATO’s secretary-general, Australia’s deputy PM, and Japan’s foreign minister. During these sessions, Wi is anticipated to emphasize South Korea’s shared values of liberal democracy and its commitment to global solidarity.

President Lee’s absence from this year’s NATO summit has heightened pressure to secure a South Korea–U.S. summit, especially as the deadline for the mutual tariff suspension agreement with the U.S. looms on July 8. Calls have grown for an urgent meeting with Trump.

Kim Yong-tae, interim leader of the ruling People Power Party, criticized Lee’s decision not to attend the summit in a Facebook post the day prior, calling it “a clear misjudgment” and urging the president to reconsider.

However, diplomatic observers note that upcoming multilateral summits—such as the UN General Assembly in September, the APEC summit in Gyeongju in October, and the G20 summit in November—still offer several potential opportunities for a bilateral summit between Lee and Trump.