[Unofficial Translation] 

Dr. Kenneth Weinstein, President Emeritus of the Hudson Institute,

Distinguished participants,

Good afternoon.

It is a great pleasure to be here with all of you in Washington, D.C., where NATO was founded 75 years ago.

President Harry Truman, who devised the Marshall Plan and championed the creation of NATO, once said that the United States had an obligation to support all free peoples and that NATO’s formation was “a neighborly act” meant to fulfill that obligation. After the two world wars that inflicted immeasurable pain and suffering upon humankind, NATO was established with the solemn promise that such tragedies would never be repeated.

However, in 1950, just one year after NATO’s founding, war broke out on the Korean Peninsula as North Korea, backed by the Soviet Union, launched a surprise invasion against the Republic of Korea.

Communist totalitarian forces had begun to reveal their expansionist ambitions, extending beyond Europe to Asia as well.

At that time, ten of NATO’s twelve member states came together under the banner of the United Nations.

The blood they shed fighting alongside us enabled the Republic of Korea to defend its freedom and prevent communism from overrunning the Korean Peninsula.

On behalf of the people of the Republic of Korea, I extend my most heartfelt gratitude to the NATO family for the sacrifices you willingly made for our freedom.

In the aftermath of the Korean War, recognizing that the Cold War could easily turn into a hot war, NATO began to expand its membership, build an integrated response capability and enhance its capacity to respond to evolving challenges and threats of the changing times.

Today, thanks to such efforts NATO – with 32 member states – stands as the world’s largest security alliance.

Ladies and gentlemen,

35 years after the end of the Cold War, we find ourselves facing factions that pose new challenges.

They reject an international order that is grounded in universal values and norms.

They incite their own citizens to have hostility toward the outside world and disguise it as patriotic nationalism.

Autocratic regimes maintain their power by restricting the freedom of their own people and subjecting them to constant surveillance.

Collusion among those who advocate the altering of the status quo by force is an outright challenge to the peace and prosperity underpinned by the free world.

Today, the security of both Europe and Asia are under threat.

This is why the four Indo-Pacific partners (IP4) are taking part in the NATO Summit for the third consecutive year.

It is said that freedom and prosperity are never free.

The only way to thwart the attempts to upend the status quo through coercion is for us, as allies and friends, to stand together united, backed by overwhelming strength.

Moreover, it must be made very clear that any reckless provocation will not only fail but also result in greater suffering for the perpetrators themselves.

Distinguished participants,

With the support of the free world, the Republic of Korea miraculously rose from the ashes of war, achieving growth and prosperity through freedom, democracy and the market economy. Today, we stand as a prominent member of the free world.

Guided by our Indo-Pacific Strategy, which is anchored in the vision of freedom, peace and prosperity and the three cooperative principles of inclusiveness, trust and reciprocity, the Republic of Korea will stand firmly with its ally and friends to uphold peace and prosperity in both the Indo-Pacific and the Atlantic.

With the participation of Indo-Pacific and European countries, the 74-year-old United Nations Command – combined with the rock solid ROK-U.S. alliance – stands as a robust foundation for countering North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats and safeguarding peace on the Korean Peninsula and the region at large.

The navies of the Republic of Korea, the United States, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Canada in the Indo-Pacific region and the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands in Europe have been working closely together at sea to monitor the compliance of UN Security Council sanctions against North Korea.

The war in Ukraine and cooperation between Russia and North Korea have further strengthened the partnership between the Republic of Korea and NATO.

The Republic of Korea will continue to disrupt and counter illegal military and economic cooperation between Russia and North Korea through the ROK-U.S. alliance; trilateral collaboration between the Republic of Korea, the United States and Japan; and close coordination with NATO member states.

We will also continue to provide comprehensive support to end the war and to bring about peace and reconstruction in Ukraine.

Through the Individually Tailored Partnership Programme (ITPP) adopted by the Republic of Korea and NATO in Vilnius last year, the Republic of Korea is committed to addressing complex security threats, involving cyber, information and psychological warfare, as well as AI-related digital technology, while also actively pursuing Flagship Projects with IP4 partners.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The Republic of Korea will continue to play a responsible role for a free, peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific and beyond.

Together with NATO and our partners in the Indo-Pacific region and indeed all of you here today, we look forward to ushering in a safer and brighter future for all.

Thank you.