South Korea’s MIC Moves to Europe |
South Korea’s MIC Moves to Europe
Presidents change, but South Korea’s path towards acquiring NATO weapons remains unchanged.
South Korean MLRS for Norway
The missiles and launchers will be produced at Hanwha’s factory in Poland, which has ordered 300 such systems for its own armed forces and will serve as a supply hub for all European clients of the South Korean company. This includes three types of missiles with ranges of up to 500 km, as well as logistical support, training materials, and auxiliary systems.
The delivery of the launch units and training materials is scheduled for 2028-2029, with the missiles to follow in 2030-2031. The Norwegian Armed Forces will be able to put the MLRS on combat duty within four years, i.e., by 2030.
Norwegian authorities are not shying away from the fact that they are increasing the firepower of their armed forces to pose a threat to strategic Russian facilities on the Kola Peninsula. The head of the country’s defense ministry pointed out that Oslo’s decision to acquire MLRS capable of striking targets deep inside enemy territory is a response to the rearmament of Russia’s Northern Fleet. The Korean MLRS will become part of a separate artillery battalion, which will likely be stationed at the Bardufoss military base, located 500 km from the Norwegian-Russian border.
Many high-profile figures attended the event, including Kang Hoon-sik, Chief of Staff to the President of South Korea, serving as a special envoy for strategic economic cooperation; Kim Hyun-jong, First Deputy Director of the National Security Office of the South Korean Presidential Office; Lee Yong-chul, Minister of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA); South Korean Ambassador to Norway Seo Min-jeong, as well as representatives from the Norwegian defense ministry and armed forces.
It should be noted that Kang Hoon-sik arrived in Norway from Toronto, where he had been lobbying for the South Korean bid to participate in a submarine construction project and met with high-ranking officials there, including Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Slowly spreading across the planet
However, the “Norwegian episode” is an important link in the chain that the South Korean defense industry is trying to forge, but not the most prominent one.
As noted in an article by Alexandra Zueva, an expert at the Military Economic Research Center of the Institute of International Defense and Economic Strategy of the Higher School of Economics (HSE), titled “The Military-Industrial Complex of the Republic of Korea: Trends and Prospects” (the editorial board strongly recommends this author as the most serious specialist on the ROK defense industry and ROK-NATO military-technical cooperation), the deepening of cooperation between the Republic of Korea and European countries began about three years ago, under Yoon Suk Yeol, who placed a very strong emphasis on arms exports as a way to overcome the economic crisis. There were several reasons for this, indirectly related to the Special Military Operation.
Firstly, having exhausted their weapons stockpiles through supplies to Ukraine and not having had time to expand production capacity, NATO member countries became interesting targets for South Korean arms manufacturers.
Secondly, the strengthening of Russian-North Korean military and political relations catalyzed the development of Seoul and NATO’s alliance. South Korea was actively pressured to make direct weapons shipments to Kiev, something Yoon Suk Yeol ultimately did not do.
Thirdly, expanding interaction with NATO allows South Korea to reduce its dependence on the United States in defense matters. South Korea follows in Washington’s wake but, since the time of Park Chung-hee, the creator of the South Korean defense industry, has strived for a certain degree of autonomy.
Following Yoon’s impeachment and the Democrats coming to power, cooperation between the Republic of Korea and NATO continues. Lee Jae Myung’s administration is maintaining the previous administration’s course toward rapprochement with NATO. During his election campaign, Lee promised to support arms exports and increase investment in the defense industry. In June 2025, the President’s National Security Advisor, Wi Sung-lac, participated in the NATO summit in The Hague, after which South Korea and NATO agreed to establish a new consultative body for defense industry cooperation at the level of department or agency heads. In July 2025, Lee Jae Myung called the defense industry a new engine for growth for the South Korean economy and urged strengthening personnel training and investment in research and development. On January 14, 2026, Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back called for increasing arms exports, stating, “We aim to become (one of) the world’s top four countries in the military industry.”
According to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), South Korea’s arms exports in 2025 exceeded $15 billion. By 2030, South Korea plans to export $20 billion worth of military products, which would account for 6% of the global market.
South Korea’s main partner is Poland, which has already largely transitioned to South Korean weaponry. The most recent delivery was completed on November 14, 2025, including 20 K2 tanks and 21 K9 howitzers. In total, in 2025, South Korea delivered 124 K2 tanks and 60 K9 howitzers to customers in Europe. Besides Europe, South Korea supplies military products to countries in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, India and Australia.
A few facts and figures
Let us examine some data from recent months:
On November 26, 2025, the South Korean government decided to transfer the 1,200-ton Jang Bogo submarine to Poland free of charge. It was acquired in 1992 and entered active duty in 1994. The submarine is being decommissioned at the end of this year.
An agreement was signed with the Estonian Centre for Defense Investments for the export of six Chunmoo MLRS and relevant missiles over the next three years, totaling 300 million euros ($351 million). This is the second export contract for the supply of Chunmoo MLRS to a European country, following the deal with Poland. In 2018, Estonia concluded an agreement with Hanwha Aerospace to import K9 self-propelled howitzers.
A contract was signed with a Peruvian state-owned shipbuilding company for the joint development of a new-generation submarine.
On December 29, 2025, a contract was signed with Poland worth 5.6 trillion won for the supply of guided missiles for Chunmoo MLRS with an 80 km range. According to the contract, the missiles will be produced at a factory in Poland, with deliveries commencing in 2030.
An agreement was signed with the Philippines Department of National Defense for the upgrade of 11 FA-50PH fighter jets for 93 billion won ($64 million). Additionally, South Korea won a contract to supply advanced combat management systems for two new-generation 3,200-ton frigates of the Philippine Navy.
South Korea and Saudi Arabia signed a memorandum of understanding on defense research and development. The document was signed following a meeting between the defense ministers of the two countries, Ahn Gyu-back and Khalid bin Salman Al Saud, held on February 8 in Riyadh.
On February 10, 2026, President Lee Jae Myung and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte discussed ways to expand cooperation in the defense sector during a telephone conversation. This was the second phone call in the last seven months and took place at Rutte’s request. Lee emphasized the competence of Korean defense companies and proposed more concrete cooperation within the consultative body established last year. Rutte agreed, pledging to support expanded cooperation.
On February 11, the head of DAPA participated in the groundbreaking ceremony for a K9 self-propelled howitzer production plant in Romania. This comes approximately 1.5 years after Hanwha Aerospace signed a 1.4 trillion won ($1 billion USD) contract to supply 54 K9 armored vehicles and 36 K10 armored ammunition resupply vehicles. As part of the deal, both sides agreed to build a local production plant in Romania, which was seen as an effort to strengthen bilateral military cooperation and increase overseas arms exports.
Summary. In the view of the author and expert Alexandra Zueva, any strengthening of cooperation between South Korea and NATO poses a threat to Russia’s national security. Firstly, it concerns the rearmament of potential adversaries of the Russian Federation and the covert arming of Kiev, at least in terms of substituting supplies. Secondly, in order to occupy the coveted fourth place in the arms market, it is necessary to displace Russia from that position.
Of course, such things do not go unnoticed by Moscow. The more the Republic of Korea cooperates with NATO, the fewer opportunities it will have to seriously improve relations with Russia. For now, as the author puts it, an ellipsis is dangling at the end of the sentence, but such activities by Seoul could turn those three dots into a full stop.
Константин Асмолов, кандидат исторических наук, ведущий научный сотрудник Центра корейских исследований Института Китая и современной Азии РАН
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