President Yoon Suk Yeol, who visited Madrid, Spain, to attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit, on June 30 shakes hands with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at IFEMA Convention Center before holding talks. (Yonhap News)

By Kang Gahui and Lee Jihae

President Yoon Suk Yeol on June 30 held talks with North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Madrid, Spain, on the sidelines of the NATO summit.

In their afternoon dialogue at IFEMA Convention Center in Madrid, President Yoon said that since forging a global partnership with NATO in 2006, Korea has closely cooperated with the alliance to respond to tasks of the international community, according to the presidential office.

President Yoon said he hopes that the conclusion of a new partnership in the second half of this year leads to expanded cooperation, and that communication develops in a more institutional manner through the opening of a Korean diplomatic mission to NATO.

Secretary General Stoltenberg welcomed the president's attendance at the NATO summit, saying his attendance has historical meaning since Korea is a major partner of the alliance in the Indo-Pacific region.

President Yoon reiterated at the talks that North Korea's nuclear issue remains a grave threat to regional peace and stability and the international non-proliferation system. On this, the NATO chief expressed steadfast support for Seoul's stance.

Prior to this meeting, President Yoon held bilateral summits with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala on boosting practical cooperation as well as on other matters of mutual interest such as North Korea.

At the Korea-Denmark summit, both leaders agreed that in line with their "comprehensive green strategic partnership," bilateral cooperation has expanded to a wide range of fields including energy and the environment.

They also welcomed the stimulation of mutual investment and corporate cooperation in offshore wind power and eco-friendly shipping, and agreed to continue government support to make the results of cooperation in relevant sectors more palpable.

At the Korean-Czech talks, President Yoon requested Prague's interest and support so that globally competitive Korean corporations can participate in the construction of the Dukovany Nuclear Power Station, whose tender was launched in March. He also promoted Busan's bid to host the 2030 World Expo.

Prime Minister Fiala responded by saying he knows Korea's technical skills and experience well and pledged "appropriate considerations" when making the final decision.

President Yoon flew home after his meeting with the NATO chief, the final event on his five-day visit to Madrid.

kgh89@korea.kr