A South Korean Army tank travels along a road in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, as joint US-South Korea military drills began. (©Yonhap/Kyodo)
Drones and asymmetric tactics may dominate talk of modern warfare. But conventional firepower remains indispensable. The ongoing Middle East conflict offers a harsh reminder. Media reports say the US has burned through over 1,000 Tomahawk missiles since the war with Iran began, while American air-defense interceptors have been depleted at alarming rates.
The arithmetic is brutal. Missiles can be spent in weeks. Replacing them can take years and cost billions of dollars. That helps explain the growing appeal of "K-defense," the shorthand for South Korean-made weapons. It may not displace American and European industry giants. But for governments that need serviceable kit quickly and at a tolerable cost, South Korea has become a hard-to-ignore partner.
Recent combat claims have only strengthened that appeal. South Korean media reported that, during the same conflict, LIG Nex1's Cheongung-II air-defense system neutralised 29 of 30 Iranian missiles and drones targeting the United Arab Emirates. Each interceptor is said to cost a fraction of the price commonly cited for America's Patriot PAC-3 missile.
For Japan, its neighbor's emergence is more than a mere success story. Tokyo has only begun trying to turn its industrial base into a serious arms-export business, and the lesson is that technology alone will not be enough.
Europe Turns to Seoul
The first meaningful opening for South Korea came in the early 2000s, when Turkey, a NATO member, bought the K9 self-propelled howitzer, says Yun Sangyong, a professor of military studies at Seokyeong University in Seoul.
The larger break came after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. As the war turned into a grinding contest of artillery, armour, and ammunition, Europe struggled to rebuild its own stockpiles while continuing to arm Kyiv. Its production push ran into red tape, budget constraints, and doubts over long-term demand.
But South Korea, Yun says, was ready to step in. Its forces operate American-style systems, its equipment is compatible with NATO standards, and its defense industry has been hardened by decades of confrontation with North Korea.
"South Korea had a steady production base even during periods when many European countries reduced their defense manufacturing capacity after the 2008 financial crisis," says Yun, who is also a research fellow at the Korea Defense Forum. "Its competitive edge lies not necessarily in peak performance, but in its ability to deliver in times of crisis."
Poland became the most visible customer. It turned to South Korea for K2 tanks, K9 howitzers, K239 Chunmoo rocket artillery, and FA-50 light combat aircraft as it rushed to replace Soviet-era equipment sent to Ukraine. Other European countries, including Romania, Finland, Estonia, and Norway, have bought or expanded orders for Korean artillery systems and support vehicles.
Built by the State
None of this happened overnight. South Korea's defense industry began to take shape in the 1970s, when President Park Chung-hee, alarmed by the Nixon Doctrine and the partial withdrawal of US troops from the Peninsula, pushed the country to reduce its dependence on Washington. Through the Heavy and Chemical Industry Drive and the Agency for Defense Development, the state financed indigenous arms production and steered contracts to big conglomerates.
Even when profits were thin, Yun says, "South Korean companies were often able to keep their production lines active, largely due to government backing." But the support did not stop at research and development. "The government provided financing to client countries through institutions such as the Export-Import Bank of Korea, while also supporting deals through diplomatic channels and broader package negotiations," he adds.
Many of South Korea's defense manufacturers today are parts of conglomerates with deep roots in civilian industry: Hanwha, LIG, HD Hyundai, and Hyundai Rotem among them. That, Yun says, gives them access to engineering, shipbuilding, electronics, and vehicle-manufacturing know-how.
In a market long dominated by the US and a few European suppliers, they also had to build credibility slowly. Yun, who once worked in overseas sales at Korea Aerospace Industries, says Korean firms spent more than two decades establishing a global foothold.
Here, soft power helped at the margins. K-pop and K-dramas do not themselves sell tanks. Yet they have made Korean brands more familiar in countries where trust and reputation matter. Such soft power, Yun explains, "has come to function as a form of 'quality assurance' in a sector where confidence is critical."
Tokyo's Export Test
Japan is now trying to enter this world. Its government has recently loosened defense-export rules in a historic shift that, at least in principle, opens the way for sales of completed lethal weapons. Tokyo this month has also finalised a major frigate deal with Australia.
But rule-easing is only the beginning. According to data published in March by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Japan remains far below the ranks of major arms exporters. South Korea, by contrast, reportedly rose to fourth place globally in 2025.
Still, Yun says that Japan possesses "a high level of technological sophistication, and has built a strong global image in advanced manufacturing over several decades." One plausible path, he adds, is to "join development program with established exporters that already have market access."
Asked whether the two East Asian countries could cooperate in defense, Yun says historical and political tensions would remain, but their strengths point in different directions.
"The two countries can be seen as both competitors and complementary partners," he says. "South Korea brings production speed, export experience, and state-backed financing, whereas Japan brings advanced technology, naval engineering and a trusted manufacturing brand."
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Author: Kenji Yoshida
