S. Korea in talks to launch NATO defense consultative body in September

Wi Sung-lac (left), South Korea’s national security adviser, speaks with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte at the World Forum Convention Center in The Hague, Netherlands, on June 25. (Presidential Office)

South Korea is in talks with NATO to launch a working-level defense consultative body as early as September, through which it would seek to expand opportunities for local defense firms to enter the European market.

The inaugural session of the consultative body is being discussed for late September in Brussels, Belgium, with final arrangements still being coordinated by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration and NATO, according to an official at the arms procurement agency on Tuesday.

The consultative body would aim to strengthen cooperation across a wide range of defense areas, including joint weapons acquisition and research and development, logistics support, standardization and airworthiness certification, and training and education.

Its launch is expected to provide South Korean defense companies with an additional export channel to NATO’s European member states, the official said.

The consultative body was first proposed by DAPA Commissioner Seok Jong-gun during his visit to Belgium in April. It gained traction following a meeting between National Security Office Director Wi Sung-lac and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in The Hague on the sidelines of the NATO summit in June.

During Wi's visit to The Hague, the two sides also discussed the possibility of Seoul’s participation in NATO’s High Visibility Projects, a next-generation program focused on the joint development and procurement of advanced military capabilities.

With NATO member states set to boost their defense budgets, the European market is emerging as a strategic opportunity for South Korean defense exporters.

In June, NATO member states agreed to raise their total defense-related expenditure to 5 percent of gross domestic product by 2035, including 3.5 percent allocated to defense budgets and 1.5 percent to indirect investments, apparently in response to US President Donald Trump's demands that they increase defense spending.

The projected expansion of the European defense market is seen as a timely opportunity for South Korean defense firms, which are known for their cost competitiveness and rapid delivery, the DAPA official added.