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President Lee Jae-myung, departing for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit and a state visit to Mongolia, greets Han Byeong-do, acting chair and floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, who came to see him off at Seoul Airport in Seongnam on July 7. / Courtesy of Yonhap News

President Lee Jae-myung departed for Ankara, Türkiye, on July 7 to attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit.

This marks President Lee's first attendance at a NATO summit since taking office.

President Lee will arrive in Ankara this afternoon to meet with NATO Secretary General Rutte. Following this, he will hold a small-group meeting alongside Secretary General Rutte and leaders from the Indo-Pacific partner nations (IP4), including Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.

President Lee will also attend the NATO Defense Industry Forum, an official event of the summit, where he will deliver a keynote speech during a session themed "Shared Values, Stronger Industrial Base."

On the evening of the same day, he will attend an official welcoming gala dinner hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the First Lady.

As U.S. President Donald Trump is also attending this NATO summit, attention is focused on a potential meeting between President Lee and President Trump.

Following his NATO schedule, President Lee will travel to Mongolia on July 9 for a state visit through July 11 before heading back home.

The send-off ceremony for President and Mrs. Lee held at Seoul Airport today was attended by Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs Hong Ik-pyo, Democratic Party of Korea Acting Chair and Floor Leader Han Byeong-do, Minister of the Interior and Safety Yun Ho-jung, Second Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Kim Jin-a, Turkish Ambassador to South Korea Salih Murat Tamer, and Mongolian Ambassador to South Korea Sukhee Sukhbold.

Prior to his departure, President Lee wrote on X (formerly Twitter), "Following last month's G7 summit, I intend to expand South Korea's role for global peace and security on the NATO stage this time," pledging, "I will do my absolute best during this tour as well so that I can bring greater pride to our people."

                                                                                                            Hong Sun-mi