President Lee Jae-myung, attending a NATO summit for the first time since taking office, proposed a "Defense Industry Partnership 2.0" aimed at elevating defense industry cooperation between Korea and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to a new level. Although Korea lost the 60 trillion won next-generation submarine project in Canada to Germany, a NATO ally, the plan is to use this as an opportunity to move beyond simple arms exports and pursue a "defense alliance" that participates in NATO's supply chain and joint development system. Lee highlighted that Korea is a "reliable partner" equipped with both stable production capacity and technological capability, emphasizing mutual growth between the two sides.
Lee delivered a keynote presentation on the theme of "The Defense Industry Alliance Between the Republic of Korea and NATO" at a NATO defense forum held in Ankara, Turkey, on Monday. Lee first assessed that "today we live in an era of uncertainty in which geopolitical conflicts have become constant," adding that "the military use of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), drones, and robots is becoming a key factor determining the outcome of wars."
With defense cooperation among nations becoming essential, he stressed that "Korea is a country that meets the conditions of trust." Lee explained, "NATO and the Republic of Korea share the memory of a devastating war, and we are partners who have together defended the values of democracy, freedom, and peace amid a grave security environment." He said, "On the basis of this trust, the Republic of Korea's defense industry has grown through cooperation with NATO allies and has been able to achieve high technological compatibility." He stressed, "If the Republic of Korea's stable production capacity and proven technological capability as a reliable partner are combined with NATO's long-standing expertise, the security capabilities of both sides will become far stronger than they are now."
Lee proposed upgrading the relationship to a "Korea-NATO Defense Industry Partnership 2.0" to strengthen the defense capabilities of both sides. The "Defense Industry Partnership 2.0" is a concept encompassing joint development, joint production, and joint operation. It is a strategy to build a long-term security cooperation framework in which Korea, rather than merely exporting weapons, participates in the defense supply chain of NATO allies to jointly develop, produce, and operate weapons. Lee stated, "We must boldly expand joint research on advanced technologies," calling it "the surest way to align technology standards and share the direction of innovation."
This vision is also connected to the outcome of Canada's next-generation submarine project. Inside and outside the government, the view is that while Korea received high marks for technological capability, price competitiveness, and rapid production capacity, it failed to overcome structural barriers such as NATO standards, logistical interoperability, and long-standing security trust among member states. The judgment is that Korea must ultimately enter NATO's supply chain and expand joint development and joint production in order to fundamentally lower market entry barriers. As European nations have sharply increased defense spending and moved to expand their domestic defense production bases following the war in Ukraine, the NATO market has emerged as a key strategic market for Korea's defense industry.
Lee also expressed his determination to turn the failure to win the Canadian submarine project into an opportunity for a new leap forward. Before departing for Ankara, after the project results were announced, Lee wrote on his X (formerly Twitter) account, "Today's experience will serve as valuable groundwork for further advancing our technology and further raising our competitiveness."
The fact that this year's NATO defense forum was elevated from a side event of the summit to an official core event also carries significant meaning. Lee's direct participation in the keynote presentation and panel discussion is seen as a symbolic move highlighting Korea as a key defense cooperation partner for NATO.
Ahead of attending the defense forum, Lee met with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, followed by talks with the leaders of the Indo-Pacific partner countries (IP4), including Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. Rutte told Lee, "Thank you for making special efforts to ensure that the Korea-NATO relationship can continue to develop strongly." On Sunday, the second day of the trip, Lee is scheduled to continue bilateral summits with the leaders of major defense-buyer nations, actively promoting K-defense's technological capability and rapid procurement ability.
Meanwhile, attention is also focused on whether U.S. President Donald Trump and Lee will meet during this summit. With the possibility of a reception hosted by Trump, if the two leaders meet, it would be their first face-to-face encounter in about a month since the Group of Seven (G7) summit. After completing his schedule in Turkey through Sunday, Lee is scheduled to make a state visit to Mongolia starting Monday.
