SEOUL - Radmila Šekerinska, Deputy Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), announced her intention to strengthen substantive cooperation with South Korea, with a strong focus on the defense industry sector. The NATO "number two" made the remarks during an interview with Yonhap News Agency on October 20 at KINTEX, Ilsan, held in conjunction with the Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition (ADEX).

Šekerinska's visit, which began on October 19 with a visit to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and meetings with local defense industry CEOs, included a full schedule of high-level meetings. On the 20th, she met consecutively with key Korean officials, including Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, National Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-baek, National Security Advisor Wi Sung-lac, and Defense Acquisition Program Administrator Seok Jong-geon.

The Deputy Secretary General stated that her visit "reflects our (NATO’s) plans and interest in expanding political dialogue with Korea and strengthening substantive cooperation in areas of common interest," with the defense industry being one such critical area. She highlighted the increasing interconnectedness between the Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic regions, asserting that both share security concerns and must collaborate effectively to address them.

A critical reason for increased cooperation, according to Šekerinska, is the deepening military ties between Russia, the invader of Ukraine, and North Korea. She expressed NATO's concern over this "deepening military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow," noting that the recent signing of a North Korea-Russia military agreement "undermines peace on the Korean Peninsula and, at the same time, pours fuel on the fire of the war in Ukraine."

Addressing NATO’s internal affairs, the Deputy Secretary General discussed the member states’ decision to increase defense spending. While the pressure from the former Trump administration played a part, she explained that the primary driver was the rising sense of crisis following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. While NATO agreed in 2014 to allocate a minimum of 2% of GDP to defense, the consensus shifted after 2022 to demand further increases. The joint statement adopted by NATO leaders in June commits all 32 member states to increasing defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035. Šekerinska assessed this decision, which was arrived at after considerable deliberation, as "not an easy decision, but a necessary decision."