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Relations with the Republic of Korea

Updated: 09 July 2025

NATO and the Republic of Korea work together bilaterally on a number of global security challenges, which include cyber defence, arms control and non-proliferation, and innovation and technology. They also cooperate as part of NATO’s broader relations with its partners in the Indo-Pacific region. In today’s complex global security environment where security in the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific is increasingly linked, the Republic of Korea and NATO are committed to enhancing political dialogue and practical cooperation in order to uphold and strengthen the rules-based international order.

NATO Relations with the Republic of Korea

The Republic of Korea is one of NATO’s partners in the Indo-Pacific region, together with Australia, Japan and New Zealand. The Indo-Pacific is important for the Alliance, given that developments in that region directly affect Euro-Atlantic security.
NATO and the Republic of Korea have been engaged in dialogue and cooperation since 2005.
From 2012, cooperation between NATO and the Republic of Korea was taken forward through an Individual Partnership and Cooperation Programme. Currently, cooperation is guided by an Individually Tailored Partnership Programme, which was jointly agreed in July 2023.
In November 2022, the Republic of Korea established a Diplomatic Mission to NATO, further enhancing opportunities for political dialogue with the Alliance.
Political dialogue and practical cooperation are being developed across priority areas, including non-proliferation, cyber defence, science and technology, counter-terrorism, capability development and interoperability, and defence against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) agents.
Since the very beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Republic of Korea has been steadfast in supporting Ukraine’s right to self-defence. This has included contributions to NATO’s Comprehensive Assistance Package for Ukraine, notably in the field of military healthcare, as well as bilateral support.

Political dialogue

At the 2021 NATO Summit in Brussels, Allies agreed to increase dialogue and practical cooperation between NATO and existing partners, including the Republic of Korea as one of the partners in the Indo-Pacific region. This commitment was reiterated in the NATO 2022 Strategic Concept, the Alliance’s core policy document.
NATO works with its partners in the Indo-Pacific region against the backdrop of an increasingly complex global security environment, including Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the provision of troops and weapons by North Korea in support of that war, and the deepening strategic partnership between China and Russia.
In June 2022, the President of the Republic of Korea participated in the 2022 NATO Summit in Madrid, together with the Leaders of other partners from the Indo-Pacific (Australia, Japan and New Zealand). In July 2023 at the Vilnius Summit, the country participated in its second meeting at the level of Heads of State and Government. In July 2024, the Republic of Korea, together with other partners in the Indo-Pacific, participated in the NATO Summit in Washington, D.C., where practical cooperation between Allies and these partners was further enhanced, including through the launch of new flagship projects in the areas of support to Ukraine on military healthcare as well as cyber defence, countering disinformation, and technology such as artificial intelligence.

Since 2022, the Republic of Korea has regularly attended NATO Foreign Ministers’ meetings. This followed the country’s first-ever participation in a NATO ministerial meeting in December 2020. The Republic of Korea participated for the first time in a NATO Defence Ministers’ meeting in October 2024.

The Republic of Korea also participates in meetings at NATO Headquarters between NATO Allies and the four partners in the Indo-Pacific at the level of Ambassadors. Recent meetings have focused on cyber defence, technology and hybrid challenges.

Key areas of cooperation

The Republic of Korea’s cooperation with NATO is mutually beneficial and covers many common security challenges, including:

Cyber defence: Since 2021, the Republic of Korea has participated in NATO’s annual cyber defence exercise Locked Shields. It also works together with the Alliance at the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence in Tallinn, Estonia and is a participant in NATO’s Malware Information Sharing Platform (MISP), a threat-sharing defence initiative.
New technologies: In March 2025, the Republic of Korea joined Australia, Japan, Switzerland and Ukraine as a member of NATO’s Science & Technology Organization (STO) Science & Technology (S&T) Enhanced Partnership. As part of this programme, these five NATO partners sit on the NATO Science and Technology Board, which provides strategic guidance on NATO’s collaborative scientific research and engages in joint research and development projects in areas such as medicine, sensing, cyber security, and propulsion and power systems.
NATO and the Republic of Korea are also enhancing their cooperation in the area of emerging and disruptive technologies through the country’s participation in NATO’s Science for Peace and Security (SPS) Programme, focusing on activities in the fields of advanced technologies, counter-terrorism as well as chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) defence and strategic foresight. Scientists in the Republic of Korea participated in DEXTER (short for Detection of EXplosives and firearms to counter TERrorism), a key SPS project that aimed to develop an integrated and affordable sensor-fusion system able to detect explosives and firearms in public places without disrupting the flow of pedestrians.
Arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation: NATO and the Republic of Korea cooperate in the area of arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation, including the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery. The Allies fully support the goal of complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula. Allies have repeatedly expressed their strong condemnation of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) provocative rhetoric and actions, including nuclear activity and ballistic missile tests that violate multiple UN Security Council resolutions, which pose a serious threat to regional and international peace, security and stability. The Republic of Korea has also participated regularly in NATO’s Annual Conference on Arms Control, Disarmament and Weapons of Mass Destruction Non-Proliferation.
Interoperability: The Republic of Korea is interested in improving mutual understanding and interoperability through exchanges of civilian and military personnel, participation in education, joint training and exercises, and cooperation in the field of standardization and logistics.
In July 2024, NATO and the Republic of Korea signed an agreement on mutual recognition for military airworthiness certification, which ensures the safety and airworthiness of all air assets used by NATO Allies and partners.

Support for NATO-led operations and missions

From 2010 to 2013, as part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, the Republic of Korea led an integrated civilian-military Provincial Reconstruction Team of some 470 personnel in Parwan Province, which helped build the capacity of the provincial government in the areas of health, education, rural development and governance. The Republic of Korea also contributed a total of USD 319 million to the NATO-run Afghan National Army (ANA) Trust Fund. In 2020, the Republic of Korea served as the ANA Trust Fund’s co-chair.
Cooperating with NATO in countering the threat of piracy in the Gulf of Aden, the naval forces of the Republic of Korea also provided escorts to merchant vessels passing through the waters off the Horn of Africa.