Nato cements ties with South Korea, Japan as security challenges mount

Nato chief’s visits to Seoul and Tokyo next week reflect the greater emphasis the transatlantic partnership is putting on East Asia, an analyst said

China, North Korea and the war in Ukraine will be high on Jens Stoltenberg’s agenda as he aims to drum up support for the war-torn European country

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A Nato flag flies at the transatlantic security alliance’s headquarters in Belgium. Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg is expected to arrive in Seoul on Sunday then visit Tokyo afterwards. Photo: Reuters

Published: 12:00pm, 25 Jan 2023

Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is set to visit South Korea and Japan from Monday to reinforce the transatlantic security alliance’s ties with its key partners in the region and demonstrate its support in the face of security challenges posed by China and North Korea.

The war in Ukraine will also be high on the agenda, with Tokyo and Seoul likely to confirm the release of additional non-lethal equipment for Kyiv. Previously, the two governments provided battlefield medical supplies, body armour, helmets, generators and communications equipment, but stopped short of supplying weapons that Ukraine needs to fend off Russian attacks, such as tanks, artillery or missile systems.

There have been incremental shifts in both East Asian capitals, however. South Korea, for example, recently signed an agreement with Poland to provide heavy tanks, self-propelled artillery and fighter trainer aircraft, which frees up Warsaw to release its own equipment to Ukraine.

Ukrainian armed forces take part in drills in the Zaporizhzhia region on Monday. Photo: Reuters

And while Japan is presently constrained by self-imposed rules that mean it cannot send offensive weapons to a country involved in a conflict, analysts point out that there is growing support – both politically and among the public – for the rule to be lifted in the future.

Stoltenberg is expected to arrive in Seoul on Sunday and will hold talks with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, Foreign Minister Park Jin and Defence Minister Lee Jong-sup before travelling to Tokyo for discussions with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

“Nato has in recent months been placing greater emphasis on deepening and broadening cooperation with nations in East Asia, but particularly Japan and South Korea,” said an analyst with the National Institute of Defence Studies in Tokyo.

“The clear intention is to forge closer ties with like-minded countries, although this will fall short of full membership of Nato because for Japan, that is a hurdle that is just too high at this point,” said the analyst, who declined to be named as he did not have clearance to speak to the media.

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