Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, rising strategic uncertainties in Europe have prompted EU and NATO member states to break away from post-Cold War policies that favored maintaining moderate war preparedness. The escalating geopolitical risks have highlighted the urgent need to revamp Europe’s defense industrial base to meet the skyrocketing demand for arms. As the EU develops its concept of strategic autonomy, supply-chain security in the defense industry is essential.
This paper argues that Europe’s strengthening ties with South Korea’s defense industry reflect how new geopolitical realities have reinforced value-driven economic and military decision-making. The authors of the paper Seong Hyeon Choi, Gary Ng, Martin Šebeňa and Thomas Chan analyze South Korea’s position in the global arms trade and then focus on the four growth-driving weapons systems: artillery, armored vehicles, missiles, and aircraft.
This research was supported by Korea Foundation.
Value-driven economic and military decision-making
