President Yoon Suk Yeol sat down for talks with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Madrid on Thursday. 

The meeting was initially set to take place on Tuesday but was held two days later following delays in entry negotiations for Finland and Sweden to NATO. 

In the meeting, Yoon noted to Stoltenberg that South Korea and NATO have jointly responded to various global challenges based on close cooperation since establishing their partnership in 2006.

The president expressed hopes for enhanced ties through the adoption of a new partnership slated for later this year, and that plans to set up a South Korean diplomatic mission to NATO will bring instill structure to their communication.

Stoltenberg praised Yoon’s participation in the NATO summit and vowed efforts to continue strengthening and advancing bilateral relations.