Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is driving South Korea arms industry boom

This can be seen in South Korea’s offensive military strategy, known as the “three-axis system”. This involves a pre-emptive strike on North Korea’s nuclear arsenal and missile facilities, targeting its air and missile defence systems and attacks aimed at eliminating the North Korean leadership. This strategy only works if South Korea can develop sophisticated conventional military weapons that can fire with precision from long range and do massive destruction.

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Seoul Mayor says South Korea should build nuclear weapons in the face of threats from the North

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South Korea aims to be major global arms seller after clinching Poland deal

Finally, while European countries look to South Korea because of the military threat from Russia, some Asian countries are drawn to South Korea as an arms supplier partly because of the growing isolation of Russia from the international community, the disruption of Russia’s weapon manufacturing production amid the war in Ukraine and questions over the quality of Russian weapons.

On the other hand, South Korea considers diplomatic relations and strategic significance in supplying arms. The security landscape around South Korea might be worryingly uncertain, but the country’s defence industry is stronger than ever.

Sokvy Rim is a research fellow at the Cambodian Centre for Regional Studies