South Korea and NATO have agreed to establish a defence industry consulting group aimed at strengthening bilateral defence cooperation, according to a Thursday announcement from the South Korean presidential office, as reported by Yonhap News Agency.

The agreement was reached during a meeting between NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte and South Korean national security adviser Wi Sung-lac, held on the sidelines of Wednesday’s NATO summit in The Hague.

The South Korean presidential office said, “The two sides agreed to establish a new director-general-level South Korea-NATO defence industry consultation body to discuss specific measures to enhance cooperation in the defence sector.”

In addition, South Korea is set to participate in future NATO defence projects, though specific initiatives were not detailed.

Mr Wi also joined a separate session on Wednesday with Mr Rutte and representatives from Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, NATO’s Indo-Pacific partners.

The group reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening supply chain resilience and enhancing cooperation in defence development, production, and procurement.

They also agreed to expand joint efforts in areas such as space, maritime security, and munitions.

(dpa/NAN)