South Korea and NATO to Begin Talks on Defense Procurement Framework

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung attended the NATO summit in Ankara on Tuesday and Wednesday as one of the alliance's four Asia-Pacific partners. During the visit, South Korea and NATO agreed to begin negotiations on a procurement framework agreement.

Lee proposed elevating defense cooperation to a "Korea-NATO Defense Industry Partnership 2.0" at a NATO defense industry forum. The proposal would expand cooperation to joint research, production, and operation beyond weapons transactions.

Europe has increased defense spending amid the ongoing Russo-Ukraine war and calls from U.S. President Donald Trump for greater alliance contributions. Combined arms imports by 29 European NATO members rose 143 percent between the 2016-2020 and 2021-2025 periods.

South Korea accounted for 8.6 percent of those imports, behind the U.S. at 58 percent, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Defense contracts awarded to South Korean firms by European NATO members totaled $24.26 billion between 2022 and August 2025.

Poland signed a $44.2 billion framework agreement in 2022 to purchase K2 tanks, K9 howitzers, FA-50 aircraft, and Chunmoo rocket systems. In December, Poland signed a 5.6 trillion-won contract with Hanwha Aerospace for additional Chunmoo batteries. Lee discussed joining NATO's defense industry standardization efforts during the summit.

Lee Chung-min, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said South Korea would need to meet European Union and NATO interoperability standards for long-term partnership. Lee also met Romanian President Nicusor Dan on the sidelines and stressed that cooperation should include joint production and development rather than remaining transactional.