President Lee Jae Myung returned to Seoul on Saturday after attending the NATO summit in Ankara and completing a state visit to Mongolia.
President Lee attended the NATO summit in Ankara on Tuesday and Wednesday. It was his first appearance at the annual gathering since taking office in June last year. His participation led to the launch of negotiations on a South Korea-NATO procurement framework agreement.
The Mongolia trip marked the first state visit by a South Korean president in 15 years. Lee held a summit with Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh in Ulaanbaatar on Thursday. The leaders declared the start of a "golden era" in bilateral ties and agreed to expand cooperation in critical minerals and supply chains.
The two sides reached an agreement in principle on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement. They set a target of raising annual bilateral trade to US$1 billion by 2030. Lee attended the Naadam festival as a special guest on Saturday before heading home.
