The South Korean president warned of the NATO summit about the threat to universal values in a time of new conflict and competition, citing Russian aggression in Ukraine and China’s commitment to Russia, a South Korean official said.
President Yun Suk Yol became the first South Korean leader to attend a NATO summit, joining NATO national leaders as an observer at a meeting in Spain as Russian forces stepped up attacks on Ukraine.
“As a new structure of competition and conflict emerges, there is a movement that denies the universal values we defend,” Mr Yun said in a speech, according to a South Korean official.
Mr Yun, although he did not identify Russia or China, said the international community was facing complex security threats that a country could not address, the official was quoted as saying by Yun in a speech that was not made public.
“He was referring to the war in Ukraine and, like most other participating countries, he expressed concern about Russia’s responsibility for the war and China’s responsibility to the international community,” said the official, who declined to be identified.
South Korea is a loyal ally of the United States and hosts about 28,000 American troops. It has also developed important economic relations with China, South Korea’s largest trading partner.
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