Ballbach, E ic J.
Resea ch Repo
Sou h Ko ea's e e -close ela ions wi h NATO:
In e sec ing and a ying mo i es o Sou h Ko ea's Moon
Jae-in and Yoon Suk-yeol adminis a ions
SWP Commen , No. 4/2025
P o ided in Coope a ion wi h:
S i ung Wissenscha und Poli ik (SWP), Ge man Ins i u e o In e na ional and Secu i y A ai s,
Be lin
Sugges ed Ci a ion: Ballbach, E ic J. (2025) : Sou h Ko ea's e e -close ela ions wi h NATO:
In e sec ing and a ying mo i es o Sou h Ko ea's Moon Jae-in and Yoon Suk-yeol adminis a ions,
SWP Commen , No. 4/2025, S i ung Wissenscha und Poli ik (SWP), Be lin,
h ps://doi.o g/10.18449/2025C04
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NO.
4
JANUARY 2025
In oduc ion
Sou h Ko ea’s E e -Close Rela ions
wi h NATO
In e sec ing and Va ying Mo i es o Sou h Ko ea’s Moon Jae-in
and Yoon Suk-yeol Adminis a ions
E ic J. Ballbach
D i en by bo h poli ical camps in Seoul, ela ions be ween Sou h Ko ea and he No h
A lan ic T ea y O ganiza ion (NATO) ha e deepened signi ican ly since hei ini ia ion
in 2005. While his in ensi ied ela ionship was shaped o a la ge ex en by geopoli ical
de elopmen s and inc easing secu i y conce ns, i also e lec s he espec i e p io -
i ies and mo i es o he di e en Sou h Ko ean adminis a ions. Wi h ano he change
in adminis a ion in Sou h Ko ea looming, i is impo an o unde s and hese p io -
i ies, and whe e and why he di e en adminis a ions’ mo i a ions d i ing he coun-
y’s ela ions wi h NATO in e sec and di e ge.
Rela ions be ween Sou h Ko ea and NATO
ha e g own e e close since he ini ia ion
o a bila e al poli ical dialogue in 2005.
Wha makes his app ochemen pa icula -
ly no ewo hy is he ac ha i is d i en
o wa d by bo h conse a i e and libe al
adminis a ions in he Republic o Ko ea
(ROK). As Sou h Ko ean poli ics is no o i-
ously known o i s di ision, i idly cap-
u ed by he no ion o namnam gal eung
(Sou h-Sou h di ide), he mo i es d i ing
Seoul’s e e -s onge ies o and ela ions
wi h NATO is in need o explana ion. A
compa ison o Sou h Ko ea’s policies and
s a egies is-à- is NATO unde he Moon
Jae-in adminis a ion (2017–2022) and he
Yoon Suk-yeol adminis a ion (2022–2024)
shows ha while Sou h Ko ea’s ela ions
wi h NATO a e d i en by ex e nal geopoli i-
cal de elopmen s, hey also e lec he luc-
ua ing p io i ies o he di e en adminis-
a ions in Seoul. To a oid up u es in
he ela ionship be ween Sou h Ko ea and
NATO, unde s anding hese mo i es and
whe e and when hey di e and/o o e lap,
is pa icula ly essen ial now, as ano he
change o go e nmen in Sou h Ko ea is on
he ho izon ollowing he impeachmen
and a es o Yoon Suk-yeol in Decembe
2024 and Janua y 2025, espec i ely.
Sou h Ko ea’s e ol ing ela ion-
ship wi h NATO: A snapsho
(2005–2017)
Sou h Ko ea’s ela ionship wi h NATO is he
mos ecen one among he alliances’ Indo-
SWP Commen 4
Janua y 2025
2
Paci ic pa ne s, which also include Japan,
Aus alia and New Zealand. Following a
isi by hen ROK Fo eign Minis e Ban Ki-
moon o NATO headqua e s in Decembe
2005 o add ess he No h A lan ic Council
as he i s Sou h Ko ean go e nmen o i-
cial o do so, he wo sides ini ia ed a poli i-
cal dialogue in 2005. Ea ly coope a ion was
d i en p ima ily by inc eased ope a ional
coope a ion in he con ex o he ROK’s
pa icipa ion in he U.S.-led in asion o
A ghanis an s a ing in 2001. A he 2006
Riga Summi , he ROK was designa ed as a
Con ac Coun y o NATO along wi h Japan,
Aus alia, and New Zealand – a e m
used by NATO o desc ibe coun ies ou side
NATO’s hen-exis ing pa ne ship ame-
wo ks (such as he Eu o-A lan ic Pa ne -
ship Council). The Riga Summi Decla a ion
emphasised he inc easing “poli ical and
ope a ional alue” o wo king wi h Con ac
Coun ies, such as he ROK. Since 2008,
Con ac Coun ies we e e e ed o as “pa -
ne s ac oss he globe” and Sou h Ko ea and
NATO es ablished a “High-Le el Policy Con-
sul a ion” mee ing in he same yea . As i
became appa en ha coope a ion be ween
NATO and i s ‘pa ne s ac oss he globe’
would ocus p edominan ly on p ac ical
coope a ion, pa icula ly in he con ex o
A ghanis an, and on he de elopmen o
bila e al ela ions wi h each pa ne coun-
y, a e signing an MOU on in o ma ion
secu i y in 2009, he ROK and NATO signed
he In e na ional Secu i y Assis ance Fo ce
(ISAF) Pa icipa ion and Financing Ag ee-
men s. As such, coope a ion be ween Sou h
Ko ea and NATO in he con ex o he ISAF
mission “c ea ed mo e ins i u ional links,
gene a ing lea ning and coo dina ion
e ec s,” which, in u n, led he adminis-
a ions o Roh Moo-hyun (2003–2008),
Lee Myung-bak (2008–2013) and Pa k
Geun-hye (2013–2017) o seek close ela-
ions wi h NATO.
Especially du ing he Lee Myung-bak
adminis a ion, which sough o ans o m
Sou h Ko ea in o a mo e ac i e and espon-
sible membe o he in e na ional commu-
ni y h ough he “Global Ko ea” campaign,
Seoul signalled i s in e es in engaging wi h
NATO in echnical coope a ion, especially
in he a eas o non-p oli e a ion, (an i-) e -
o ism, and (an i-)pi acy. In 2012, Sou h
Ko ea o malised i s ela ions wi h NATO
by en e ing in o an Indi idual Pa ne ship
Coope a ion P og amme (IPCP), which was
la e e ised in 2017 and 2019, be o e i
was upg aded o an Indi idually Tailo ed
Pa ne ship P og amme (ITPP) in July 2023.
The o emos goals o coope a ion lis ed
in he 2012 IPCP a e he imp o emen o
in e ope abili y, c ea ion o oppo uni ies
o scien i ic and echnological exchange,
and he de elopmen o capabili ies h ough
exchange and aining. The p io i y a eas o
coope a ion o achie e such goals included
cybe de ence, coun e - e o ism, ene gy
secu i y, he Science o Peace and Secu i y
p og am, and disa mamen and nonp oli -
e a ion. P io i y Coope a ion Sec o s wi h
NATO hus clea ly we e mo e ela ed o
non- adi ional secu i y. Howe e , ollow-
ing a h ee-day isi o Seoul by NATO Sec-
e a y Gene al Rasmussen in Ap il 2013 o
alks wi h hen-P esiden Pa k Geun-hye
and key go e nmen membe s o explo e
oppo uni ies o expanding coope a ion,
Sou h Ko ea en e ed in o he Pa ne ship
In e ope abili y Ini ia i e (PII) in 2014.
Rela ions wi h NATO unde he
Moon Jae-in and Yoon Suk-yeol
adminis a ions
A e he inaugu a ion o he Moon Jae-in
and Yoon Suk-yeol adminis a ions in 2017
and 2022, espec i ely, coope a ion be ween
NATO and he ROK in ensi ied. While his
has been shaped o a g ea ex en by ex e -
nal de elopmen s such as he e ol ing geo-
poli ical landscape and inc easing h ea s
posed by No h Ko ea, i also e lec s he
a ying p io i ies and some imes di e ing
and o e lapping mo i es o he wo Sou h
Ko ean adminis a ions, which come om
he wo di e en poli ical camps.
SWP Commen 4
Janua y 2025
3
NATO’s mo i es
F om NATO’s pe spec i e, he global chal-
lenges posed by China, Russia and o he
au ho i a ian coun ies equi e coope a ion
wi h pa ne s ac oss he globe. Russia’s
in asion o Uk aine, wha is seen by NATO
as Beijing’s suppo o Moscow, and No h
Ko ea’s mili a y suppo o Russia a e seen
as majo demons a ions o his h ea as
well as an exp ession o he inc easingly
o e lapping secu i y dynamics in Eu ope
and he Indo-Paci ic. S a ing wi h he
London Decla a ion issued in 2019, NATO
has publicly desc ibed China as a “chal-
lenge”. This cha ac e isa ion became ‘ o -
mal policy’ in he NATO 2022 S a egic
Concep , issued du ing he Mad id Summi .
The S a egic Concep also highligh ed he
“deepening s a egic pa ne ship” be ween
China and Russia as a h ea o NATO. In
Oc obe 2024, NATO Sec e a y-Gene al
Ma k Ru e desc ibed he deepening mili-
a y coope a ion be ween Russia and No h
Ko ea as a h ea o bo h he Indo-Paci ic
and Eu o-A lan ic secu i y, s a ing ha he
deploymen o No h Ko ean oops is: a
signi ican escala ion in he Democ a ic
People’s Republic o Ko ea’s (DPRK) ongoing
in ol emen in Russia's illegal wa , ye
ano he b each o UN Secu i y Council
esolu ions, and a dange ous expansion o
Russia’s wa . I is agains his backg ound
ha NATO pushed o pa icipa ion o
NATO’s IP4 pa ne s in he las h ee sum-
mi s.
The Moon Jae-in adminis a ion:
NATO coope a ion unde a Peace-
Fi s app oach
The libe al Moon Jae-in adminis a ion,
which ook o ice in 2017, adop ed a o -
eign policy ha aimed o educe ensions
on he Ko ean Peninsula h ough in e -
Ko ean dialogue and engagemen wi h
No h Ko ea, as well as by engaging di ec ly
wi h he U.S. and China. Fo Moon, engage-
men wi h NATO hus had o be balanced
wi h his adminis a ion’s e o s o main-
ain dialogue wi h Pyongyang, amed as
complemen a y o peacebuilding e o s,
a he han ocusing on adi ional de ence
and de e ence issues. While coope a ion
on issues such as non-p oli e a ion o in e -
ope abili y con inued, he Moon adminis-
a ion pa icula ly s eng hened unc ional
coope a ion on opics such as science and
echnology, as well as de ence agains chemi-
cal, biological, adiological and nuclea
(CBRN) agen s and cybe secu i y in pa icu-
la . To ha end, he Moon adminis a ion
launched he p ocess o Sou h Ko ea o
join NATO’s Coope a i e Cybe De ence
Cen e o Excellence (CCDCOE) in 2019.
Since 2021, he ROK has pa icipa ed in
NATO’s annual cybe de ence exe cise Locked
Shields, con ibu ed o he “Malwa e In o -
ma ion Sha ing Pla o m” (MISP), and co-
ope a ed on “eme ging and dis up i e ech-
nologies.” As Sou h Ko ea-NATO ela ions
a e also poli ical, in la e 2020 Sou h Ko ea
joined he NATO Fo eign Minis e s Mee ing
o he i s ime, a e which Sou h Ko ea
has pa icipa ed egula ly.
A he same ime, howe e , he Moon
adminis a ion was ca e ul o a oid any
di ec mili a y alignmen wi h NATO ha
could p o oke No h Ko ea. NATO’s em-
phasis on non- adi ional secu i y h ea s
hus aligned wi h Moon’s goals o s eng h-
ening Sou h Ko ea’s secu i y wi hou
in ensi ying he h ea o mili a y con lic
wi h No h Ko ea. While Moon’s admin-
is a ion sough o educe mili a y ensions
wi h No h Ko ea, i also ecognised he im-
po ance o di e si ying i s o eign ela-
ions. This en ailed ein o cing ies wi h key
allies, pa icula ly he U.S., and s eng hen-
ing coope a ion wi h he EU and i s mem-
be s a es, as well as Sou heas Asian coun-
ies and India in he con ex o he New
Sou he n Policy.
O e all, he app oach o he Moon ad-
minis a ion aimed a balancing Sou h
Ko ea’s secu i y in e es s wi h i s b oade
peace s a egy, posi ioning he coun y as
a esponsible global ac o commi ed o up-
holding in e na ional peace and secu i y –
wi hou di ec ly con on ing No h Ko ea,
China, o Russia.
SWP Commen 4
Janua y 2025
4
The Yoon Suk-yeol adminis a-
ion: NATO coope a ion in he
con ex o a mo e asse i e
o eign policy
The conse a i e Yoon Suk-yeol adminis a-
ion, which assumed powe in 2022, ep e-
sen ed a shi in Sou h Ko ea’s o eign
policy owa d a mo e asse i e s ance on
de ence and egional secu i y issues. Al-
eady du ing his elec ion campaign, Yoon’s
o eign policy eam desc ibed i s majo o -
eign policy s a egy in e ms o ans o m-
ing Sou h Ko ea in o a Global Pi o al S a e,
ep esen ing a shi away om he p e ious
Moon Jae-in go e nmen ’s hea y ocus
on in e -Ko ea ela ions o a o eign policy
s a egy “emb acing g ea e oles and e-
sponsibili ies o esol ing egional and
global challenges in he Indo-Paci ic egion
and beyond,” as no ed by o me Fo eign
Minis e Pa k Jin. Al hough he Moon go -
e nmen sough o expand ies wi h he
Associa ion o Sou heas Asian Na ions
(ASEAN) membe s and India h ough he
New Sou he n Policy, i s ocus on in e -
Ko ea ela ions was c i icised by he Yoon
adminis a ion as limi ing Sou h Ko ea’s
b oade egional and global agenda. The
esul ing policy e lec ed a mo e p oac i e
app oach o coun e ing No h Ko ea’s mili-
a y h ea s, as well as a desi e o coun e -
balance he g owing in luence o China and
Russia in Eas Asia. In con as o Moon’s
emphasis on diplomacy wi h No h Ko ea,
Yoon has been mo e ocused on s eng hen-
ing Sou h Ko ea’s de e ence capabili ies
and aligning Sou h Ko ea mo e closely wi h
NATO’s collec i e de ence amewo k. Fo
example, in Feb ua y 2023, he ROK and
NATO held a i s ound o mili a y s a - o-
s a alks in Seoul, du ing which hey com-
mi ed o holding annual mili a y alks and
es ablishing a mili a y- o-mili a y consul a-
i e body. In July 2024, NATO and he ROK
signed an ag eemen on mu ual ecogni ion
o mili a y ai wo hiness ce i ica ion,
ma king NATO’s i s such deal wi h an
Asian coun y. In Oc obe 2024, Ko ea pa -
icipa ed in he NATO De ence Minis e s’
mee ing o he i s ime. As such, he
Yoon adminis a ion has suppo ed g ea e
NATO in ol emen in he Indo-Paci ic
egion and has also been mo e ocal in i s
suppo o NATO’s s ance on global secu-
i y issues, including i s condemna ion o
Russia’s in asion o Uk aine. Compa ed o
he Moon adminis a ion, his signalled a
mo e open shi owa ds an explici align-
men wi h Wes e n secu i y in e es s.
As he Yoon adminis a ion has sough
o posi ion Sou h Ko ea as a mo e ac i e
pa icipan in global secu i y a ai s, Sou h
Ko ea’s coope a ion wi h NATO was seen as
a means o bols e he coun y’s in luence
on he wo ld s age and con ibu e o peace-
keeping, coun e e o ism, and global s a-
bili y e o s. Yoon has emphasised Sou h
Ko ea’s commi men o he libe al in e -
na ional o de and i s ole in coun e ing
au ho i a ianism, pa icula ly in ligh o
he ongoing con lic in Uk aine and he
challenges posed by China and Russia. Much
mo e so han he Moon adminis a ion, he
Yoon go e nmen a ached a g ea e impo -
ance o ROK-NATO ies, e lec ing he belie
ha his ela ionship can se e o boos he
ROK’s secu i y and de ence. In his espec ,
powe ul ac o s and ins i u ions, such as
he Minis y o Na ional De ence, conside
NATO o be a c ucial pa ne o con on
he challenges posed by No h Ko ea and
o he au ho i a ian coun ies. Yoon’s
adminis a ion has also placed g ea e em-
phasis on coun e ing he in luence o China
and Russia in he egion. China’s g owing
mili a y asse i eness and Russia’s ac ions
in Uk aine ha e led Yoon o seek close ies
wi h NATO as a means o balancing hese
egional powe s. By coope a ing wi h NATO,
Yoon seeks o ensu e ha Sou h Ko ea is
be e posi ioned o de end i s in e es s and
p omo e egional s abili y. This app oach
con as s wi h Moon’s mo e neu al s ance
owa d China and Russia, e lec ing a
shi owa d a mo e o e alignmen wi h
Wes e n powe s.
Agains his backg ound, coope a ion
wi h NATO has become a op p io i y o
he Yoon Suk-yeol go e nmen , which has
epea edly highligh ed he impo ance o
ROK-NATO coope a ion, including in he
SWP Commen 4
Janua y 2025
5
Indo-Paci ic s a egy published in Decembe
2022. The ROK opened an embassy o NATO,
while Yoon Suk-yeol a ended all h ee
NATO summi s du ing his ime in o ice.
Mo eo e , he Yoon adminis a ion p io -
i ised he signing o he enewed ITPP
signed a he Vilnius NATO summi in July
2023, which upg aded and ma ked a sub-
s an ial depa u e om he dialogue-cen ed
2012 IPCP. While he IPCP mainly p esen ed
p inciples o and a eas o coope a ion, wi h-
ou de ailed ac ion plans and imelines, he
ITPP co e s comp ehensi e and conc e e
plans o coope a ion o e a ou -yea
pe iod (2023–2026). ITPPs he e o e ep e-
sen a s onge and mo e accoun able com-
mi men by bo h NATO and i s pa ne
coun ies o p ac ical coope a ion and he
implemen a ion o he coope a ion objec-
i es.
The ITPP e lec s an e ol ing secu i y
landscape and need o deepe collabo a-
ion on bo h adi ional de ence and eme g-
ing global challenges. Speci ically, he ITPP
lis s 11 a eas o coope a ion and con ains
angible s eps o be aken by bo h sides o
implemen coope a ion in each a ea, wi h
clea imelines up un il 2026. I e en indi-
ca es which depa men s o he Sou h
Ko ean go e nmen and o NATO a e in-
ol ed in he speci ic coope a ion ac i i ies.
As such, e en in he case o a change o
go e nmen in Sou h Ko ea, he 2023–
2026 Sou h Ko ea-NATO ITPP will mos
likely emain he basis o in e ac ion o
he nex wo yea s, ye i is possible ha a
new adminis a ion will se di e en p io -
i ies wi hin ha ins i u ional amewo k.
O e lapping objec i es
While Sou h Ko ea’s ela ions wi h NATO
do e lec he di e en poli ical p io i ies o
he Moon and Yoon adminis a ions, he e
has been consis ency be ween he wo ad-
minis a ions ega ding a se o co e issues.
These c i ical o e laps ensu ed no only
con inui y in, bu a u he de elopmen
o he ela ionship.
The impo ance o he Eu opean
ma ke o Sou h Ko ea’s
bu geoning de ence indus y
One o he majo explana o y ac o s o
Sou h Ko ea’s inc easingly close ela ions
wi h NATO du ing he p esidencies o Moon
Jae-in and Yoon Suk-yeol was he sha ed
objec i e o s eng hening he domes ic
de ence indus y and he coun y’s ole as
a majo a ms expo e . Close coope a ion
wi h NATO membe s a es was a c ucial
aspec o his s a egy – and a sha ed ob-
jec i e o bo h he Moon and Yoon adminis-
a ion.
Unde he Moon adminis a ion, Sou h
Ko ea’s de ence budge inc eased annually
by an a e age o 7 pe cen each yea . Ac-
co ding o da a om he S ockholm In e -
na ional Peace Resea ch Ins i u e, he alue
o Sou h Ko ea’s mili a y expo s has mo e
han ipled om $1.2 billion (2011–2015)
o $3.8 billion (2016–2020) be o e sky-
ocke ing o $38 billion (2021–2023). In
2023, Sou h Ko ea’s de ence indus y,
domes ically known as “K-Bangsan,” anked
second globally behind he U.S. in e ms o
he numbe o majo a ms expo con ac s,
a 2,972 uni s compa ed o he U.S.’s 5,631
uni s. Al eady du ing he p esidency o he
Moon adminis a ion, Sou h Ko ea exhib-
i ed he as es g ow h among he wo ld’s
op 25 a ms expo e s, inc easing by o e
176.8 pe cen be ween 2017 and 2021.
Wi h he ou b eak o Russia’s wa
agains Uk aine, Sou h Ko ea eme ged as an
e en mo e a ac i e a ms supplie o Eu o-
pean coun ies, such as Poland o Es onia,
which supplied weapons o Uk aine and
a e in need o eplenishing hei weapons
s ockpiles wi h mode n weapon y. In July
2022, Sou h Ko ea signed a $12.4 billion
a ms ag eemen – he coun y’s la ges
deal e e – wi h Poland, which included
sales o 980 anks, 648 K9 howi ze s, and
48 FA-50 igh e je s. In No embe 2022,
No way o de ed addi ional sel -p opelled
K9 howi ze s and K10 ammuni ion supply
ehicles om a Sou h Ko ean de ence com-
pany, Hanwha De ense. P esiden Yoon
used his pa icipa ion a he NATO summi s
SWP Commen 4
Janua y 2025
6
o push ahead de ence deals wi h NATO
membe s a es. Fo ins ance, a his i s
NATO summi in June 2022, P esiden
Yoon said in a mee ing wi h Polish P esi-
den And zej Duda ha he expec s ongoing
de ence coope a ion discussions be ween
he wo coun ies o make subs an ial p o-
g ess. Sho ly a e he summi concluded,
Sou h Ko ea signed i s a ms expo con ac
wi h Poland. A he same ime, Sou h Ko ea
ag eed o s eng hen de ence coope a ion
wi h Aus alia a a summi wi h he Aus-
alian p ime minis e and success ully
expo ed $2.4 billion wo h o AS21 Red-
back in an y igh ing ehicles o Aus alia
in Augus 2023. A his second NATO sum-
mi in 2023, P esiden Yoon me wi h Ro-
manian P esiden Klaus We ne Iohannis.
The wo coun ies announced sho ly he e-
a e ha hey would seek o enhance ies
and expand de ence coope a ion. By July
2024, Sou h Ko ea had signed a $920 mil-
lion deal o expo K9 howi ze s o Roma-
nia. The wo coun ies a e also in alks o e
a po en ial $14 billion deal o K2 anks,
Redback in an y igh ing ehicles, and
Cheongung-II SAM missiles.
Ins i u ionalisa ion o
unc ional coope a ion
Bo h he Moon and Yoon adminis a ions
sough o ins i u ionalise Sou h Ko ea’s co-
ope a ion wi h NATO in pa icula a eas
and/o on speci ic opics. Fo ins ance, he
Moon adminis a ion ocused i s engage-
men wi h NATO p ima ily on he pa ici-
pa ion in NATO’s CCDCOE and he alli-
ances’ coun e e o ism ini ia i es. While
Sou h Ko ea joined he CCDCOE du ing
Yoon’s e m in o ice, he issue was ini ially
pushed o wa d by he Moon adminis a-
ion in 2019 when i ini ia ed he p ocess
by submi ing i s applica ion o join he
CCDCOE. Acco ding o an o icial o he
o me Moon adminis a ion, Sou h Ko ea
wan ed o ge access o NATO’s in elligence,
expe ise, and capabili ies in he a ea o
cybe secu i y o be e p o ec i sel agains
a acks o igina ing om No h Ko ea, China,
and Russia. This iew was sha ed o he
au ho by an ad iso o P esiden Yoon,
who poin ed o Sou h Ko ea’s coope a ion
wi h NATO h ough he CCDCOE as a “c u-
cial elemen in he ROK’s global ne wo k
o cybe de ence.”
Fo he Yoon adminis a ion, his co-
ope a ion wi h NATO h ough he CCDCOE
ook on an addi ional impo ance as Chi-
nese and Russian noncompliance wi h
en o cemen o he UN Secu i y Council’s
p oli e a ion sanc ions agains No h Ko ea
g ew. I is no ewo hy ha cybe secu i y
coope a ion is conside ed an impo an
measu e o cu o a c ucial elemen in
he inancing o Pyongyang’s weapons p o-
g am. Acco ding o Whi e House U.S. depu y
na ional secu i y ad iso o cybe and
eme ging echnology, Anne Neube ge ,
nea ly hal o No h Ko ea’s missile p o-
g am has been unded by illegal cybe ac i -
i ies. Building on an ex ension o he U.S.-
ROK alliance in o cybe space and he es ab-
lishmen o a S a egic Cybe secu i y Co-
ope a ion F amewo k o join ly de e and
comba cybe c ime by No h Ko ea, he
Yoon adminis a ion also iewed cybe secu-
i y coope a ion wi h NATO and i s membe
s a es as an impo an addi ion o Sou h
Ko ea’s ongoing e o s o cu b No h Ko ea’s
illici e enue gene a ion and weapons
p og am de elopmen .
The di e si ica ion o
o eign ela ions
The i s as well as he p ospec s om
T ump’s second p esidency, Chinese sanc-
ions agains he ROK in he con ex o he
Te minal High Al i ude A ea De ense issue
in 2017, and an inc easing U.S.-China con-
lic has also helped d aw Sou h Ko ea and
NATO close – bo h unde he Moon and
Yoon p esidencies. A e all, he objec i e o
di e si ying o eign (economic and secu i y)
ela ions was a he hea o bo h he Moon
adminis a ion’s New Sou he n Policy and
he Yoon adminis a ions “S a egy o a
F ee, Peace ul, and P ospe ous Indo-Paci ic
Region.” As such, NATO and i s membe
s a es eme ged as impo an coope a ion
pa ne s. While he Yoon adminis a ion
SWP Commen 4
Janua y 2025
7
sough s a egic cla i y by placing he alli-
ance wi h he U.S. a he cen e o he coun-
y’s o eign and secu i y policy, he epea ed
a endance o P esiden Yoon a h ee con-
secu i e NATO summi s demons a es
Sou h Ko ea’s desi e o s eng hen comp e-
hensi e coope a ion wi h NATO allies ou -
side o he Indo-Paci ic egion in ace o
wha is o en desc ibed as he New Cold
Wa e a. As such, Yoon’s a endance a he
p e ious NATO summi s was designed p in-
cipally o bols e Sou h Ko ea’s posi ion as
a key con ibu o o global de ence leade -
ship in he democ a ic wo ld in he ace o
a ising ide o au ho i a ianism ep esen ed
by China and Russia.
Conclusions and
ecommenda ions
The ela ionship be ween Sou h Ko ea and
NATO has signi ican ly e ol ed o e he
pas wo decades. Unde he adminis a ion
o Moon Jae-in, Sou h Ko ea’s coope a ion
wi h NATO was cha ac e ised by a mo e
cau ious app oach wi h a speci ic ocus on
he de elopmen o non- adi ional secu i y
coope a ion in a eas such as cybe de ence
and coun e e o ism. O e all, Moon’s ad-
minis a ion sough o balance Sou h Ko ea’s
secu i y needs wi h he desi e o a oid esca-
la ing ensions wi h No h Ko ea and China.
In con as , he Yoon Suk-yeol admin-
is a ion has aken a mo e asse i e s ance,
ocusing on s eng hening Sou h Ko ea’s
de ence pos u e and expanding i s coope a-
ion wi h NATO, including on mo e adi-
ional mili a y and secu i y ma e s. Yoon’s
adminis a ion has p io i ised coun e ing
No h Ko ea’s mili a y h ea s, ein o cing
ies wi h he U.S. and Wes e n allies, and
posi ioning Sou h Ko ea as a key playe in
global secu i y e o s. This shi no only
e lec s b oade changes in he geopoli ical
landscape and Sou h Ko ea’s e ol ing ole
in he in e na ional o de , bu also he
Yoon adminis a ion’s s a egic ocus on a
mo e global ole o Sou h Ko ea.
As such, while bo h adminis a ions
sha ed common secu i y conce ns, hei
app oaches o NATO e lec hei di e ing
p io i ies and s a egies in na iga ing com-
plex egional and global dynamics. A he
same ime, howe e , he wo poli ical camps
did sha e a se o objec i es, which ha e
been ins umen al in s abilising coope a-
ion beyond changes in go e nmen . Wi h
ano he change in adminis a ion in Sou h
Ko ea on he ho izon, bo h sides should
now ocus on aking he equi ed s eps o
ensu e s able coope a ion in he u u e.
Ensu ing he implemen a ion o
he ITPP
Wi h he ITPP, NATO and he ROK ha e
ag eed on a esolu e and comp ehensi e
agenda o coope a ion in he coming yea s.
Howe e , ensu ing implemen a ion o he
ITPP equi es no only consensus abou i s
alidi y and u ili y by NATO and he ROK,
bu also wi hin Sou h Ko ea. Agains his
backd op, i is essen ial ha coope a ion
wi h NATO is gene ally suppo ed by bo h
poli ical camps in Sou h Ko ea. While he
Yoon go e nmen has upg aded Seoul’s ies
wi h NATO o an unp eceden ed le el, all
p e ious adminis a ions in Seoul – libe al
and conse a i e – ha e successi ely en-
hanced ies wi h he alliance since he
incep ion o ela ions in 2005. The majo
di e ence is ha libe al go e nmen s end
o ocus mo e on non- adi ional secu i y
issues as well as diplomacy a he han
deepening mili a y coope a ion and ies. In
a coun y ha is known o i s deep-sea ed
poli ical di ision, his is a de elopmen ha
should no be unde es ima ed. O e all, he
g owing consensus among Sou h Ko ean
o eign policy and secu i y eli es ega ding
coope a ion wi h NATO s ems om mul i-
ple ac o s, mos no ably he sha ed pe -
cep ion ha :
∎ No h Ko ea poses a con inuously in-
c easing secu i y challenge,
∎ unc ional coope a ion wi h NATO b ings
angible bene i s, and
∎ coope a ion wi h a di e si ied se o pa -
ne s is equi ed in an e a o “polyc ises.”
Agains his backg ound, i is highly
likely ha coope a ion be ween he ROK
SWP Commen 4
Janua y 2025
8
and NATO will con inue o de elop in case
o a change in go e nmen in Seoul. None-
heless, NATO and i s membe s a es should
con inue o unde sco e he impo ance o
his coope a ion o bo h poli ical camps in
Seoul and ensu e ha discussions on he
implemen a ion o he ITPP a e econ ened
as soon as possible.
P io i isa ion o
coope a ion a eas
As he ITPP p esen s a wide- anging agenda
o coope a ion, i is impo an o p io i ise
coope a ion a eas ha will no only c ea e
angible wins o bo h sides, bu ha will
be suppo ed by bo h poli ical camps in
Seoul. This will help main ain he momen-
um o bila e al coope a ion, especially in
imes o domes ic poli ical u moil and a
likely change o go e nmen in Sou h
Ko ea. Agains he backg ound o he abo e
discussion, cybe secu i y and coope a ion
in he de ence indus y seem pa icula ly
p omising. Gi en ha he wo sides al eady
coope a e in hese a eas, i will be easie o
implemen p ac ical coope a ion ac i i ies.
Indeed, de ence indus ial coope a ion was
an impo an opic du ing he NATO-IP4
alks in Vilnius, and ROK a m sales and
indus ial coope a ion wi h Poland, in pa -
icula , unde sco e Seoul’s posi i e con-
ibu ion o Eu opean secu i y. Mo eo e ,
when Aus alia, Japan, New Zealand, and
Sou h Ko ea joined he NATO de ence
minis e s’ mee ings in mid-Oc obe 2024,
hey ag eed o bols e join e o s o boos
cybe de ences, de ence p oduc ion and
inno a ion, coun e in o ma ion manipu-
la ion, and ha ness echnology, including
a i icial in elligence. This p io i isa ion
o pa icula coope a ion a eas will help
ensu e long- e m s abili y in ROK-NATO
ela ions.
D E ic J. Ballbach is a Visi ing Fellow
/
Ko ea Founda ion Fellow in he Asia Resea ch Di ision a SWP.
This publica ion is made possible wi h he g an suppo p o ided by he Ko ea Founda ion.
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ISSN (P in ) 1861-1761
ISSN (Online) 2747-5107
DOI: 10.18449/2025C04
