As NATO member states embark on a historic expansion of defense spending, South Korea’s military systems are emerging as a vital resource for allies rapidly upgrading their capabilities. The recent establishment of a high-level consultative group by Seoul and the 32-member security alliance signals a new era of strategic cooperation to enhance interoperability and accelerate procurement.
At the June 2025 NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, South Korean National Security Advisor Wi Sung-lac and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte agreed to form a director-general-level group focused on defense industry collaboration. Key areas for enhancing integration between South Korean and NATO military systems were discussed, including joint development, supply chain resilience and standardization.
Wi said the goal is to accelerate collaboration through NATO’s High-Visibility Projects program for joint development and acquisition of next-generation defense technologies, The Korea Herald newspaper reported.
NATO has targeted an increase in members’ defense spending to 5% of gross domestic product by 2035, up from a 2% benchmark. According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, European defense budgets reached $457 billion in 2024 and could hit $800 billion under the new target, vastly expanding procurement opportunities for partners such as South Korea.
While many NATO members reduced military investment after the Cold War, South Korea has steadily built a resilient and technologically advanced defense industry, driven by persistent threats from North Korea. That sustained focus has produced an array of export-ready systems, analysts say.
NATO members including Poland have acquired South Korean platforms such as the K2 tank and K9 howitzer, while South Korean firms including Hanwha Aerospace and Hyundai Rotem are establishing production facilities in Europe to meet demand.
“When a country needs munitions, spare parts or onsite support, South Korea delivers quickly and reliably,” Dr. Bruce Bennett, a senior defense analyst at the Rand Corp., a United States-based think tank, told FORUM. “That’s a big part of their competitive edge.”
Beyond arms sales, the new consultative group reflects a strategy to deepen collaboration on emerging technologies, particularly in cyber defense and artificial intelligence. “South Korea’s cyber units work closely with NATO’s Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence,” Song Tae-Eun, a professor at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, part of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, told FORUM. Seoul’s National Intelligence Service also cooperates with NATO institutions, she said.
Such partnerships underscore NATO’s growing interest in leveraging Indo-Pacific expertise to bolster its collective capabilities, Song noted. South Korea is part of NATO’s Indo-Pacific Four forum with Australia, Japan and New Zealand, and is becoming a strategic defense supplier through exports, joint development and technology sharing.
South Korean firms “are engaging with NATO not just to sell equipment, but to understand strategic needs — why a country wants a tank, what kind of capabilities it needs,” Bennett said. “That’s smart policy.”
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