President Yoon Suk Yeol said Wednesday that South Korea will increase military information sharing with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and participate in a NATO trust fund for assistance to Ukraine.
Yoon made the remark during a summit involving the 31 NATO member states, four Asia Pacific partner nations -- South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand -- Sweden and the European Union.
He did not elaborate on how the military information will be shared with the alliance, but a presidential official said Yoon was referring to NATO's Battlefield Information Collection and Exploitation System (BICES), which helps member states share military secrets and determine the next steps based on the information.
"In today's ultraconnected era, we cannot separate the security of Europe from that of Asia," Yoon said during the meeting, noting that South Korea and NATO established an Individually Tailored Partnership Program the previous day for cooperation in 11 areas ranging from antiterrorism and nonproliferation to emerging technologies and cyber defense. "We will also expand military information sharing with NATO."
According to the presidential official, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg first proposed South Korea's participation in BICES when he visited Seoul in January.
The United States and other NATO member states use BICES to share necessary information on their nuclear forces, providing a reference point for South Korea and the U.S. as they develop a nuclear information sharing system through their newly launched Nuclear Consultative Group, the official said.
With NATO, South Korea is expected to use BICES to mainly share information on illegal activities, hacking and crimes in the cyber sphere, he added.
Yoon said in his speech that he expects to see greater cyber security cooperation between South Korea and NATO through a new international cyber exercise center set to open in South Korea in 2027.
He noted that last year South Korea became the first country in Asia to join the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence while it continues to take part in the NATO Locked Shields cyber defense exercises.
Yoon also said South Korea has been providing demining equipment, ambulances and other humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and will continue to stand with the people of Ukraine until their freedom is fully restored.
"We also plan to participate in NATO's trust fund for Ukraine to strengthen Ukraine's resilience," he said.
Yoon spoke only hours after North Korea launched another intercontinental ballistic missile into the sea.
"North Korea's nuclear missiles are a real threat that can hit not only Vilnius but also Paris, Berlin and London," he said. "We must unite more strongly and condemn and respond with one voice."
Source: Yonhap News Agency