What South Korea’s defense capabilities and exports mean for the U.S.-ROK alliance

OPINION:

This year marks the 71st anniversary of the U.S.-ROK alliance, and the strength and importance of the relationship has never been more evident. We are grateful to the United States for its support and help in the past, from the ashes of the Korean War in 1950 to the present, where the Republic of Korea now stands as a world leader group. Without the steadfast alliance of the United States, we would not have the 9th-largest defense budget in the world and be the 8th-largest defense exporter in the world.

In the past, ROK has traditionally relied heavily on the United States to supply defense equipment to its armed forces. ROK became a major defense industrialist initially in response to the threat of North Korea; but now it has transformed itself into a global exporter of defense goods. This means that South Korea has been able to supply nations threatened by communist countries with the weapons they need in a timely manner, filling in some of the gaps left by other allies.

Today, ROK has evolved from a country that once relied on aid and imports to one that produces and exports its own advanced fighter jets. According to a recent Morgan Stanley analysis, South Korea’s arms exports reached an all-time high of 17.2 billion dollars in 2022. It has signed major contracts with Poland for K2 tanks, K-9 self-propelled artillery and FA-50 multi-role fighter jets, among other major contracts.

Among ROK’s many defense products is the T-50 jet trainer, a joint venture between ROK and the United States. This trainer has similarities to the U.S. F-16 and is a joint U.S.-ROK creation. The T-50 has been flying in the ROK Air Force for more than 20 years now and has recently been exported to Malaysia and Poland, thus realizing the shared interests of the two countries.

The T-50 jet trainer is made up of more than 50% U.S.-made components, which supports U.S. national interests. Furthermore, the collaboration contributes to the defense of democracies by expediting arms imports to countries in urgent need.

Currently, the T-50 has been exported to eight countries to defend their airspace. It is also optimized for joint operations and exercises to maximize interoperability among democratic countries. This fosters deeper cooperation, trust, mutual responsibility, and collaboration, contributing to peace and security not only on the Korean Peninsula, but also in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.

Many countries around the world are currently facing a pilot shortage. A combat pilot cannot be made in a day; it takes a long time and requires a lot of experience and hard work. Now, Korea wants to contribute to the security and prosperity of the United States by supporting the training of American pilots. We look forward to building a stronger US-ROK relationship through defense cooperation.

• Major General (Ret.) Shin, Kyoung Soo is the Secretary General of Korea-US Alliance Foundation (Former ROK Defense Attache to the U.S.A.).