Pacific Countries to Meet on Sidelines of NATO Summit

A four-way summit between the leaders of Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand is expected on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Madrid late this month.

Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun reported Monday that the Japanese government is seeking the Pacific summit to create a "new framework" to keep China in check.

President Yoon Suk-yeol, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern have all been invited to the summit of the Atlantic pact although they are not members.

The presidential office here said it received the proposal last weekend and is "considering" taking part. A presidential official said, "We view the proposal as an intention to pool the strengths of the four countries in Asia."

The summit could signal a rebirth of cooperation between Seoul and Tokyo on the international stage after bilateral relations sank to new lows during the Moon Jae-in administration.