Poland deepens arms ties with South Korea amid mounting threat from Russia

By Global Watch and AFP | 2025-06-11

Poland and South Korea are deepening their military partnership as Russian threats to NATO intensify, with Warsaw preparing for a major new acquisition of South Korean K2 tanks.

The deal, now in its final stages of negotiation, would significantly expand Poland's armored capabilities as it braces against the ongoing war in neighboring Ukraine and Russia's escalating military posture.

The planned agreement builds on a 2022 $13.7 billion arms deal -- the largest in South Korea's history -- which saw Seoul supply tanks, howitzers and fighter jets to Poland.

The new phase, expected to be worth about $6 billion, underscores Warsaw's strategic pivot toward Seoul as a key defense supplier in its broader push to modernize its military and reinforce NATO's eastern flank.

If signed, this would be "the largest-ever deal based on a single weapon system," South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration told AFP June 10, referring to the K2 tanks.

The governments and defense companies of both countries are working to "expedite its conclusion" amid rising urgency to bolster European deterrence capabilities, an official added.

The potential deal would have South Korea's Hyundai Rotem manufacturing 117 tanks and Poland's state-owned Polish Armaments Group producing 63 locally, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported.

Deals for howitzers, missile systems

The signing ceremony is scheduled to take place in late June in Poland, Yonhap reported, but the Defense Acquisition Program Administration said the "signing schedule for the second contract has not yet been finalized."

"This contract includes provisions such as local production and technology transfer, which have required a significant negotiation period," it said in a statement.

The contract was originally expected to be signed late last year, according to Yonhap, but was delayed by problems including political turmoil in South Korea following the brief declaration of martial law in December.

The proposed deal comes as Poland and its NATO allies are accelerating their defensive measures to counter the increasing threat posed by Russia.

That threat will only increase over time, according to a report by the Danish Defense Intelligence Service (DDIS).

"Russia views itself as being in a conflict with the West and is preparing for a war with NATO," the DDIS said in a February 9 report.

"This does not mean that a decision to start a war has already been made, but Russia is arming itself and building the potential for making such a decision," it said.

Meanwhile, South Korea has emerged as a major player in global defense exports, as Moscow's invasion of Ukraine created opportunities for its industry to secure large-scale contracts across Europe and the Middle East.

It has signed major arms deals with countries such as Poland and Romania, including the export of K9 Howitzers and Chunmoo missile systems.

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, who took office June 4, has vowed a more dovish approach towards Pyongyang -- an ally of Russia -- compared with his predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol.

The nuclear-armed North, which technically remains at war with the South, has recently bolstered military ties with Russia.

Pyongyang sent at least 14,000 troops to support Moscow's war in Ukraine, and officially declared the South an enemy state.