South Koreas Greater Engagement with NATO and Europe: Becoming a Reliable Security Partner Through a Thriving Defense Industry

In the wake of Russia’s aggression of Ukraine, South Korea’s security engagement with NATO and Europe has scaled up also through some lucrative arms deals adding to those previously inked by South Koreans in the Indo-Pacific and the MENA region. While major Western defense industries are undergoing a multi-year process to backfill military transfers to Kyiv, the volume and content of recent defense procurement contracts suggest that South Korean companies might be in the position to step in where other defense market actors have stumbled. The policy brief examines what contributions South Korea is capable of making to regional and global security, and how deepened partnerships with European states can advance that end.