event

NATO and South Korea: Assessing Longer-Term Security and Defense Cooperation Possibilities

Tue. November 4th, 20259:00 AM - 10:00 AM (EST)
Live Online

South Korea’s defense and security ties with NATO have surged since the outbreak of the Ukrainian War in February 2022, with a significant jump in arms sales to Poland—over $25 billion since 2022—and other Central European members of NATO. The Republic of Korea is also one of the NATO’s so-called Indo-Pacific Four partners, along with Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. Rising to tenth place as the largest defense exporter in 2024, South Korea seeks to become one of the top five by the late 2020s. What are the driving forces behind the rapid growth of South Korea’s defense ties with NATO? What limitations and trajectories might they face through 2025 and beyond?

Chung Min Lee, senior fellow in the Asia Program, will moderate a conversation with Darcie Draudt-Véjares, fellow in the Asia Program, Markus Garlauskas, director of the Indo-Pacific Security Initiative at the Atlantic Council, Dr. Michael Raska, assistant professor at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, and Yea Kyung Han, leader of the global public affairs team with Hanwha Aerospace, exploring these questions. These experts will also assess the longer-term prospects for South Korea's defense technology cooperation with key NATO states.

MilitaryTradeDefenseSecurityNATOSouth KoreaCentral EuropeAsia
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
event speakers

Chung Min Lee

Senior Fellow, Asia Program

Chung Min Lee is a senior fellow in Carnegie’s Asia Program. He is an expert on Korean and Northeast Asian security, defense, intelligence, and crisis management.

Darcie Draudt-Véjares

Fellow, Asia Program

Darcie Draudt-Véjares is a fellow in the Carnegie Asia Program.

Markus Garlauskas

Director, Indo-Pacific Security Initiative, Atlantic Council

Markus Garlauskas is the director of the Indo-Pacific Security Initiative of the Atlantic Council's Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security. He is a former US government official with nearly two decades of service, including as chief strategist for US Forces Korea and later as the US intelligence community's National Intelligence Officer for North Korea. He also teaches as an adjunct professor of security studies at Georgetown University.

Michael Raska

Assistant Professor, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies

Dr. Michael Raska is an assistant professor in the Military Transformations Program at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, and a nonresident senior fellow at The Hague Center for Strategic Studies. His research and teaching examine the “AI wave” in defense innovation and the strategic adaptation of small states and middle powers.

Yea Kyung Han

Senior Manager, Hanwha Aerospace

Yea Kyung Han leads Hanwha’s global public affairs strategy, overseeing the company’s engagement with international governments, defense organizations, and multilateral institutions. She also supports Hanwha’s collaboration within the global defense and security community. Prior to joining Hanwha, she spent more than two decades as a diplomatic correspondent for leading Korean and international media.