1. Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan currently on a visit to Belgium visited NATO Headquarters and 
met with NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen on May 11. Minister Yu also addressed 
the ambassadors of NATO’s 28 members at a North Atlantic Council meeting.

2. During a meeting with the Secretary-General, Minister Yu explained the current security situation 
on the Korean peninsula, including the North Korean nuclear issue and the Cheonan incident. 
Secretary-General Rasmussen explained NATO’s transformation efforts to cope with the new 21st 
century security environment, and the New Strategic Concept, which will be adopted as part of such 
efforts at the Portugal summit in November, 2010. Also, the two sides agreed to further strengthen 
Korea-NATO cooperation including Korea’s operation of Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in 
Afghanistan.

   o NATO’s New Strategic Concept, a document that replaces the current strategic concept adopted 
at NATO’s 50th anniversary summit in 1999, is expected to provide guidelines for NATO's role and the 
directions of its transformation in the 21st century security environment, and to include the expansion 
of partnership with non-NATO countries and the reinforcement of relations with Russia and the EU.

3. During his address to NATO's North Atlantic Council, Minister Yu explained the current security 
situation on the Korean peninsula, including the North Korean nuclear issue and the Cheonan 
incident, and asked for support and cooperation regarding our security policy on the Korean peninsula. 
He also explained Korea’s foreign policy on contribution to the international community, including 
contribution to stabilization and reconstruction in Afghanistan.

4. Minister Yu’s visit to NATO, a strong regional security organization playing a crucial role in global 
security under the new 21st century security environment, is seen to have further strengthened 
Korea-NATO relations by improving NATO’s understanding of security issues on the Korean 
peninsula and discussing ways to cooperate on issues of common interest, including terrorism, 
non-proliferation of WMD, and piracy. 


                             Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations of MOFAT 

* unofficial translation