Ties That Truly Bind? The Potential for Defence Industrial Cooperation between South Korea, NATO and the European Union

By Daniel Fiott

18/2025

Europe and South Korea are increasingly aligned in their pursuit of stronger defence industrial resilience amid intensifying geopolitical competition and technological disruption. Both actors recognise that defence production is now as much about economic sovereignty and technological leadership as it is about security. Europe and South Korea stand to benefit from closer cooperation that diversifies partners, secures supply chains and accelerates access to critical technologies. Cooperation between the two could bridge the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific theatres, reinforcing deterrence and resilience across regions. Yet, persistent political, institutional and industrial barriers continue to constrain the depth of engagement. Against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine, Indo-Pacific tensions and evolving transatlantic dynamics, this CSDS In-Depth Paper analyses the prospects and limits of Europe–South Korea defence industrial cooperation through the frameworks of the EU and NATO, and offers ten targeted policy recommendations to advance it.

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