President Lee Jae Myung held bilateral talks with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store on Wednesday, as part of a series of meetings with leaders of NATO member states on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in Ankara. The two leaders expressed hope that the meeting would lay the groundwork for further strengthening bilateral ties, including in defense and security. The meeting took place as Korea seeks to deepen defense cooperation with NATO, as its 32 member states collectively account for about 55 percent of global defense spending and make up the world’s largest defense procurement market. NATO has also committed to raising defense spending to a historic 5 percent of gross domestic product. According to Cheong Wa Dae, Lee was also scheduled to hold bilateral talks with the leaders of the Netherlands and Romania, both NATO allies, Wednesday. “We recently made an important decision in the defense sector, and I believe it was the right one for advancing our relationship into a strategic partnership," the Norwegian prime minister said through an interpreter, referring to Norway's Sep