Lee Jae Myung skipping NATO summit risks Seoul missing out on diplomatic opportunities, opposition says

President Lee Jae Myung's decision not to attend the upcoming summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization risks South Korea missing out on diplomatic and security opportunities, lawmakers with the opposition People Power Party said Monday.

"This NATO summit would be a crucial opportunity to address the security and economic uncertainties caused by the recent Middle East crisis and to explore ways to coordinate joint efforts," People Power Party lawmakers said in a joint statement, asking the president to reconsider.

The People Power Party lawmakers said that the president snubbing the NATO summit might send the wrong signal about which countries the new administration in South Korea deems more important.

"The president being absent from the NATO summit could give the impression that South Korea is prioritizing China, Russia and North Korea over our allies and partners," they said.

The presidential office said earlier that Lee would not be attending the NATO summit, citing "various domestic issues" and the "uncertainties caused by the situation in the Middle East," but added that Lee's top security aide, Wi Sung-lac, would be sent instead.

The People Power Party lawmakers also asked the ruling Democratic Party of Korea to exercise "more diplomatic prudence" in its messages about the US.

The US airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear sites sparked criticism of the US from some within the Democratic Party over the weekend, including six-term Rep. Choo Mi-ae.

Choo said in a statement on Facebook that the US "crossed the Rubicon" with the bombing of the Iranian nuclear sites, which she said violated international laws barring the use of unilateral preemptive force.

People Power Party Rep. Kim Gunn, a former nuclear envoy, said that the Democratic Party, as the ruling party should "coordinate its messages on sensitive diplomatic issues with the government."

"Messages out of the ruling party that are not in sync with where the government stands could be wrongly perceived as the intentions and perceptions of the government," Kim said.

People Power Party Rep. Lim Jong-deuk said, considering the unique security challenges facing South Korea, such as North Korea's dispatch of troops to Russia, Lee's opting out of the NATO summit was "deeply regrettable."