By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young

President Yoon Suk-yeol, who is in Washington, D.C., for the NATO Summit, attended the NATO Indo-Pacific Partners (IP4) (South Korea, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand) Summit on July 11.

Hosted by New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, this is the third IP4 Summit, following the 2022 and 2023 meetings, and was joined by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles.

The leaders recognized the close cooperation among the four countries, South Korea, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, which share common values, and affirmed their shared awareness of and commitment to international security challenges, including Ukraine and North Korea. 

At the Summit, President Yoon emphasized that avoiding a repeat of the unfortunate history of war requires "the power of cooperation" among nations committed to upholding a norms-based international order with strong and overwhelming deterrence.

In particular, the leaders expressed grave concern over Russia and North Korea's decision to strengthen military and economic cooperation through the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty, and emphasized that Russia's support for North Korea's military capabilities is in violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions, and agreed that the international community must act unitedly and decisively against this illegal strengthening of military cooperation. 

The leaders issued a joint statement at the IP4 level on military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, reaffirming the strong solidarity among like-minded countries in the region against this growing common threat.

The leaders also agreed to continue to work closely together to advance cooperation between NATO and the IP4. 

In particular, the leaders commended the systematic strengthening of cooperation with NATO, with all IP4 partners signing Individualized Tailored Partnership Programs (ITPPs) with NATO and implementing Flagship Projects. 

The leaders also emphasized that they will continue to contribute to freedom, peace, and prosperity in the region based on their partnership with NATO.

In a separate meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the IP4 Summit, the leaders heard an update from President Zelenskyy on recent developments in Ukraine and his country's efforts to restore peace, and reaffirmed the IP4 nations' united support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The President expressed concern about the ongoing Russian airstrikes targeting key cities and civilian facilities in Ukraine, which continue to result in innocent civilian casualties, and reiterated that our government will continue to provide security assistance, humanitarian assistance, and reconstruction assistance to Ukraine under the Ukraine Peace and Solidarity Initiative announced last year. 

The President also emphasized that Ukraine and Indo-Pacific countries must work together to resolutely respond to the illegal military cooperation between Ukraine and Russia that is contributing to the prolongation of the war in Ukraine.

The leaders noted that the summit was an opportunity to strengthen solidarity and cooperation among countries with shared values in the region to deal with major issues of international concern, and called on the four countries to continue to strengthen communication and cooperation for peace and stability in the region.