South Korean President Lee Jae-myung used his first appearance at a NATO summit to propose a sharp upgrade in defense-industry ties, calling on the alliance and Seoul to move beyond simply buying and selling weapons toward jointly researching, manufacturing, and operating them.
Speaking at the NATO Defense Industry Forum in Ankara, Turkey, on July 7, Lee put forward what he labeled a 'Korea-NATO Defense Industry Partnership 2.0.' He argued that reliable supply chains and protected technology are now as decisive to security as battlefield performance, and that South Korea meets both tests. 'Without confidence that supply will never be cut off and that core technology will always be kept safe, genuine solidarity and cooperation cannot exist,' he said. 'The Republic of Korea fully meets those conditions of trust.'
Lee drew an analogy with the International Energy Agency's shared strategic petroleum reserves, suggesting NATO members could apply the same collective logic to defense production. He called for expanding joint research programs beyond the ammunition and space-sector projects South Korea already shares with NATO, with an eye on drones and other emerging military technologies.
The forum, which has been part of the official NATO summit program since last year, drew more than 1,000 government, industry, and finance officials from member and partner states. NATO accounts for roughly 55 percent of global defense spending, according to Kookmin Ilbo.
The summit also produced a concrete institutional step. National Security Adviser Wi Seong-lak announced that Lee's meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte triggered the formal launch of negotiations on a Korea-NATO Basic Procurement Agreement. Wi said that once concluded, the deal would give Korean companies the legal basis to bid on NATO's joint procurement market, which Seoul estimates at about 15 trillion won annually.
On the sidelines, Lee met Rutte along with leaders of the four Indo-Pacific partner countries, including Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, to discuss broader security cooperation. A separate bilateral meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to cover defense and economic ties was expected on the second day of the visit, according to Yonhap.
The presidential office separately announced a pledge of 100 million dollars in comprehensive support for Ukraine, described by Wi as an extension of ongoing aid that excludes lethal weapons. Lee is scheduled to travel to Mongolia for a state visit from July 9 to 11, the first such visit by a South Korean president in 15 years.