NATO chief to visit S. Korea next week

SEOUL, Jan. 23 (Yonhap) -- Jens Stoltenberg, secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will visit South Korea early next week on a regional swing that will also take him to Japan, Seoul's foreign ministry said Monday.

Stoltenberg is scheduled to make a two-day trip to Seoul on Sunday and Jan. 30, during which he will have a series of meetings with top South Korean government officials, including Foreign Minister Park Jin and Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup, according to the foreign ministry.

Stoltenberg is also due to visit the Seoul National Cemetery and participate in a forum hosted by a South Korean think tank.

His trip to Seoul comes as the government of President Yoon Suk Yeol has been stepping up cooperation with NATO. Yoon attended a NATO summit in June last year, becoming the first South Korea leader to have taken part in the summit.

Following his Seoul trip, Stoltenberg will fly to Japan for a two-day trip.

elly@yna.co.kr
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