President to skip NATO summit, manage economy at home amid Middle East tensions

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President to skip NATO summit, manage economy at home amid Middle East tensions

Published: 23 Jun. 2025, 19:58

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

President Lee Jae Myung speaks at his first senior secretary meeting held at the presidential office on June 23 in Yongsan, central Seoul. [YONHAP]

President Lee Jae Myung will not attend the NATO summit, with National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac participating in his stead.

“In place of President Lee, National Security Adviser Wi will attend the NATO summit in The Hague, the Netherlands, scheduled for June 24 to 25,” presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a written briefing on Monday afternoon.

The presidential office had initially prepared for Lee to attend the summit in person. The office had even sent an advance team to the Netherlands a day earlier for preparations. However, after a U.S. strike on Iran's nuclear facilities drastically shifted the geopolitical climate, the presidential office began reconsidering the plan, keeping all options open.

The biggest variable was whether a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump could be arranged. The government had sought either a Korea-U.S. summit or a special meeting between Trump and the “Indo-Pacific Four” — Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand — known as IP4.

But the unfolding crisis in the Middle East changed the landscape. The strategic value of the IP4 summit diminished from Washington's perspective, casting doubt on whether such a meeting would happen. Trump, for his part, also shortened his stay at the NATO summit, with the U.S. side reportedly saying it could not commit to a meeting.

National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac briefs reporters after the G7 meeting held in Canada on June 17. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

“After the U.S. strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, even other countries found it difficult to coordinate schedules with the United States,” said a senior presidential official. “On top of that, domestic volatility in oil prices, foreign exchange rates and the stock market created economic risks that had to be weighed.”

President Lee and his aides deliberated throughout Sunday afternoon. Opinions reportedly varied on the costs and benefits of attending the summit.

“The chances of meeting Trump were slim, and many questioned whether it was appropriate for the president to leave the country when Cabinet ministers have yet to be appointed under the new administration,” the official said. “Once the decision was made that attending the summit was not appropriate, the media was promptly informed.”

Other IP4 countries also made similar decisions. On Monday afternoon, the Japanese government announced that Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba would cancel his trip to the NATO summit due to “various circumstances.” Japan is now considering sending Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya in his place.

President Lee Jae Myung speaks at his first senior secretary meeting held at the presidential office on June 23 in Yongsan, central Seoul. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

NHK reported that the decision was likely influenced by the possibility of Trump not attending, as well as President Lee’s decision to skip the summit.

Australia was the first to announce nonattendance, with Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles to attend in place of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, however, is still expected to attend as scheduled.

Presiding over his first senior secretary meeting since taking office on Monday, Lee addressed the economic fallout of the Middle East crisis, including fluctuations in oil prices and exchange rates, instructing aides to “prepare sensitive countermeasures.”

“Even if a Korea-U.S. summit was not guaranteed, the president had intended to attend the NATO summit," said a high-ranking presidential official. "But with global security concerns shifting dramatically, he chose to manage the country’s economy directly to avoid shaking market confidence.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY OH HYUN-SEOK [[email protected]]