Strategic Collaboration of Defense Industry between India and South Korea: Toward a Matured Economic Partnership

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This study is based on the hypothesis that defense industry cooperation between India and South Korea (ROK) goes beyond the technical dimensions of defense and technology transfer. Instead, it serves as a strategic pathway to foster deeper mutual trust, enhance economic interdependence in trade and investment, and strengthen both countries’ positions as credible middle powers in an increasingly fragmented and volatile international order.
Building upon decades of export-driven growth that underpinned the “East Asian Miracle,” South Korea—now the world’s tenth-largest economy—seeks to transition into a sustainable, high-technology economy with the goal of joining the “higher high-income” group, by exceeding a per capita income of USD 40,000. Simultaneously, it is developing a modern and diversified defense portfolio to deter persistent security challenges from North Korea and its ongoing efforts to attain international recognition as a nuclear state. Confronted with external security threats and a protectionist trade environment under US President Donald Trump’s “America First” agenda, Seoul has adopted a dual-track innovation strategy. It aims to become one of the world’s top three artificial intelligence (AI) powers and among the top four global arms exporters in the near future.
India—the world’s largest democracy by population—is poised to become the third-largest economy within a few years under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Make in India - Resilient India” policy. Departing from its historically inward-oriented economic posture, India is now positioning itself to seize global trade and investment opportunities. With per capita GDP still around USD 2,400, India seeks sustained high growth through deeper integration into the global economy. On the strategic front, New Delhi seeks to become a military power commensurate with its rising economic stature—not only to meet regional security challenges but also to strengthen its diplomatic profile as a leading middle power and a representative voice of the emerging Global South. Consistent with its long-standing multi-alignment approach, India continues to engage with a wide spectrum of partners, including the Western world, Russia, and China.
Given their ambitious national trajectories and complementary developmental strengths, India and South Korea share a strong potential for strategic convergence as like-minded partners. Both nations pursue strategic autonomy and diversification strategies in response to the intensifying US-China rivalry and broader instability across the Indo-Pacific. This shared pursuit of autonomy provides a compelling rationale for both countries to deepen and redefine the nature of their collaboration. Despite these synergies, bilateral economic connectivity remains underdeveloped. The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), launched in 2010, has yet to deliver outcomes comparable to South Korea’s trade and investment linkages with China or Vietnam. In an era of proliferating minilateralism and protectionist fragmentation, both countries must find innovative pathways to unlock their untapped potential and realize the full promise of their strategic partnership.
In this context, defense industrial collaboration offers a powerful catalyst for expanding trust, trade, and investment. The India-South Korea partnership in defense production has already yielded tangible results, exemplified by India’s acquisition of the K9 Vajra-T self-propelled howitzer, co-developed with South Korea’s Hanwha Defense—a landmark success story that opens the door for wider cooperation. The implications of such collaboration extend far beyond defense procurement: by working together in arms production and technology transfer, Seoul and New Delhi can cultivate long-term strategic trust and generate spillover effects across broader economic domains.
Defense cooperation inherently builds trust because it touches the most sensitive spheres of national sovereignty—military capability, national security, and long-term technological capacity. Unlike ordinary trade, arms collaboration requires a multilayered ecosystem involving government-to-government (G2G), business-to-government (B2G), and business-to-business (B2B) interactions. For such cooperation to be robust, both sides must align top-down strategic agreements with bottom-up industrial innovation.
Initially focused on self-defense, South Korea’s land, naval, and air systems have now evolved into competitive export products, complementing its high- tech industrial structure. Successive South Korean governments have recognized the defense sector as a vital export frontier alongside semiconductors, electronics, and shipbuilding. Given the current defense portfolios of both countries, numerous avenues exist for deeper cooperation beyond the K9 Vajra project. Potential collaborations include South Korea’s K2 main battle tank with India’s indigenous rocketry and missile programs in the land domain; joint R&D between India’s Tejas and South Korea’s KF-21/FA-50 fighters in the air domain; and cooperation in drone technology and AI-based defense systems. In the naval sphere, South Korea’s world-class shipbuilding expertise can support India’s ambitions in carrier and destroyer production, as well as joint R&D in submarine propulsion and anti-submarine systems—areas aligned with their shared interest in a blue-water navy for Indo-Pacific security.
Across land, air, and sea, India and South Korea exhibit both overlap and complementarity. India brings scale, operational experience, and a strong policy push for indigenization under Atmanirbhar Bharat; South Korea contributes advanced technology, manufacturing efficiency, and export orientation. By combining India’s demand with South Korea’s supply capacity, the two countries can move beyond transactional arms sales toward co-development and co- production ecosystems—spanning tanks, howitzers, fighters, drones, submarines, and warships.

Toward a Sustainable and Future-Ready Defense Partnership

To enhance its defense industry and strengthen its role as a major arms exporter, South Korea is undertaking a wide range of R&D programs aimed at narrowing capability gaps across multiple domains. These R&D efforts can be pursued through both indigenous initiatives and international cooperation—areas where India and South Korea can selectively collaborate on shared defense technology agendas.
Recognizing that the future of warfare will be shaped by frontier technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous systems, hypersonics, and electronic warfare, South Korea is pursuing a dual-track strategy: scaling up conventional arms exports to meet rising global demand, while simultaneously investing in frontier technologies to secure its long-term strategic edge. This dual approach aligns closely with India’s own defense industrial development under Atmanirbhar Bharat—balancing immediate operational needs with investment in next-generation technologies.
At present, India and South Korea maintain a buyer-seller dynamic. For a sustainable partnership, they must transition toward a co-developer relationship, grounded in joint R&D and long-term industrial collaboration. The India-France Rafale program and the India-Israel Barak-8 partnership exemplify how trusted, high-technology cooperation can bridge capability gaps while strengthening domestic industrial ecosystems. France demonstrates the power of deep strategic alignment and joint manufacturing; Israel showcases agile, innovation- driven co-development. Together, these partnerships form pillars of India’s evolving defense diplomacy—combining strategic autonomy with technological interdependence.
South Korea, though a newer partner in India’s defense matrix, can follow a similar trajectory. It has rapidly emerged as a global arms exporter by leveraging decades of industrialization to position itself among the world’s top suppliers. India, still the largest arms importer, is actively pursuing indigenization, innovation, and foreign investment to reduce dependency and build domestic capacity. The convergence of these trajectories provides fertile ground for collaboration. South Korea’s proven manufacturing excellence and India’s scale and demand can drive co-production, joint research, and a new wave of defense sector investment. Beyond defense, such cooperation could stimulate linkages in AI, aerospace, and advanced manufacturing.

Policy Recommendations for a Robust and Enduring Framework

1. Institutionalize Strategic Dialogues:Establish a regular summit mechanism and a biennial 2 + 2 meeting of Foreign and Defense Ministers dedicated specifically to defense- industry cooperation. These platforms should include fast-track decision-making to mitigate bureaucratic delays and manage risk effectively.
2. Adopt a Dynamic Defense Roadmap:Build upon the success of the K9 Vajra program by expanding collaboration into frontier technologies and joint export ventures. A shared roadmap should guide R&D priorities toward a future-ready defense ecosystem aligned with Indo-Pacific security objectives.
3. Prioritize Co-Development and Technology Transfer:Focus on areas of strong complementarity—artillery upgrades, naval shipbuilding, and space-based surveillance—leveraging South Korea’s high-tech engineering and India’s manpower, production scale, and market access.
4. Expand Maritime and Shipbuilding Cooperation:Launch a South Korea-India Naval Shipbuilding Partnership Initiative to jointly develop frigates, corvettes, and auxiliary vessels in Indian shipyards, including cooperation on green-ship technologies and submarine platforms.
5. Pursue Space and Satellite Collaboration:Co-develop dual-use satellites for defense communication, weather monitoring, and disaster response to enhance situational awareness and humanitarian coordination.
6. Deepen Cooperation in AI, Cyber Defense, and Quantum Computing:Encourage cross-investment and joint innovation in emerging technologies to ensure resilience and competitiveness in next-generation defense applications.
7. Align Trade and Defense Policies:Upgrade the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) to integrate defense-industry cooperation and unlock the full potential of technology and capital flows.
8. Advance Middle-Power Diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific:Leverage the defense partnership as a platform for minilateral cooperation with ASEAN, Australia, and the EU—shaping regional governance frameworks and promoting collective security.

Conclusion

Defense industry collaboration between India and South Korea is far more than an arms trade arrangement; it is a strategic necessity for two middle powers navigating an unpredictable global order. By institutionalizing cooperation, leveraging complementarities, and aligning with regional frameworks, both nations can elevate their partnership into a cornerstone of Indo-Pacific security and economic resilience.
The pathway forward is clear: deepen trust, expand co-production, integrate emerging technologies, and embed bilateralism within multilateral structures. If pursued with vision and pragmatism, India-South Korea defense cooperation can stand as a hallmark of constructive middle power leadership, symbolizing a shared commitment to innovation, stability, and strategic autonomy by 2047.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• Executive Summary
• Contributors
• List of Abbreviations
• Preface
• Chapter 1: Overview of the Bilateral Defense Industry Collaboration
• Chapter 2: South Korea’s Rise to Global Arms Market Player
• Chapter 3: India’s Defense Sector Development and Future Trajectories
• Chapter 4: Strategies for Collaboration of Defense Industry Sector
• Chapter 5: Way Forward and Policy Recommendations
• References
• Appendix