President Lee Shows "Viking Cheer" to Norwegian Prime Minister, Emphasizes Importance of Cooperation in Unstable Times

Korea-Norway Summit Held on July 8

President Lee Jae-myung held a summit with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre on the 8th (local time) and stated, "Given the current highly unstable international situation, it is inevitable that overcoming these challenges at the national level alone is limited," adding, "This is why cooperation and exchanges between countries are all the more important."

President Lee, who is visiting Turkey to attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit, made these remarks during his meeting with Prime Minister Støre at a hotel in Ankara on July 8, 2026.

President Lee Jae-myung is imitating the 'Viking Clap' cheer of the Norwegian national football team while speaking at a summit with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre at a hotel in Ankara, Turkey on the 8th (local time). 2026.7.8 Yonhap News Agency

President Lee said, "The Republic of Korea and Norway are developing a deep relationship, receiving great support from each other in the fields of economy, industry, culture, and defense," and added, "I hope that in today's bilateral meeting, we can have in-depth discussions about which sectors and in what ways we can further deepen our relationship going forward."

Prime Minister Støre responded, "Last year, during the Group of Twenty (G20) summit, I had many conversations with President Lee about our bilateral relations, and since then, there has been significant progress regarding Norway and Korea's potential," adding, "There was an important decision in the area of defense relations between our two countries, and I believe it was a good decision toward advancing our strategic partnership."

Meanwhile, President Lee congratulated Prime Minister Støre on Norway's victory over Brazil and advancement to the quarterfinals in the North and Central America World Cup. President Lee then imitated the Norwegian fans' "Viking Clap" cheer, which had become a hot topic, prompting laughter among the attendees. When Prime Minister Støre remarked, "This is the first time since 1998 that we have achieved such a high result at the World Cup, and I am also very pleased with the victory over Brazil," President Lee replied, "I look forward to seeing you row (the oar) once more," wishing the team further success.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.