President Yoon Suk Yeol said the NATO summit is not about excluding certain countries.

He made the remark in response to China's discontent with South Korea's participation in the military alliance gathering held in Spain.

In a press conference inside the presidential plane on his way back home on Friday, Yoon said that Seoul taking part in the NATO summit or trilateral talks with the U.S. and Japan is not aimed at excluding any particular country.

He said it is a matter of protecting universal rules and values that Seoul pursues whether domestically or in international relations. Yoon said it's important to join forces and safeguard principles and rules when they are violated, adding the same rules-based philosophy can be applied to handling both diplomacy and domestic issues.

On Japan, the president said historical concerns and future relations should be discussed together and that he's confident it can be done. 

When the press conference turned to domestic matters including allegations surrounding Yoon's nominees for education and health ministers and whether he would go ahead with their appointments, the president said he will give a response after looking into the issue when he arrives in Seoul.