[Contribution] From Zeitenwende to strategic industrial partnership: A new chapter in Germany-Korea defense cooperation – The Korea Herald

[Contribution] From Zeitenwende to strategic industrial partnership: A new chapter in Germany-Korea defense cooperation  The Korea Herald

For decades, Germany and South Korea have built a strong relationship through trade, investment, technological exchange and the shared historical experience of For decades, Germany and South Korea have built a strong relationship through trade, investment, technological exchange and the shared historical experience of national division. Today, that relationship has acquired a more consequential strategic dimension. As Europe confronts its most serious security crisis since the end of the Cold War, South Korea has emerged as an important partner in rebuilding European defense industrial capacity. For Germany and Korea, this presents an opportunity to turn a long-standing economic relationship into a more consequential strategic partnership. Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 upended the strategic assumptions that had shaped German security policy for decades.

Berlin could no longer count on economic interdependence to temper Russian aggression or take peace in Europe for granted. At the same time, uncertainty about the future scale and reliability of American security commitments has intensified the debate over Europe's ability to defend itself. This has fundamentally altered the political priorities of European nations: Defense, deterrence and industrial resilience are now at the center of Europe's strategic planning. Germany's response was the Zeitenwende — a historic turning point in its foreign and security policy. It involved a commitment to strengthen the Bundeswehr (the German military),