Defense firm pledges continued role in NATO defense, citing timely, cost-effective weapons delivery
The chiefs of Hanwha Aerospace and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Military Committee reaffirmed the importance of their trusted partnership and a common goal for global security as they met in Korea on Tuesday.
According to industry sources on Wednesday, Hanwha Aerospace CEO Son Jae-il and NATO Military Committee Chair Giuseppe Cavo Dragone held a closed-door meeting in Seoul to discuss the need for stronger cross-regional alliances.
“At a time when close cooperation between the NATO leadership and allied nations is more important than ever, Hanwha will continue to contribute to the defense cooperation and economic development of the (NATO) region as a defense industry partner in Europe,” Son was quoted as saying during the meeting.
Noting that security is no longer limited to individual countries or regions but is globally intertwined, Cavo Dragone pointed out that what happens in the Indo-Pacific region can immediately impact Europe and NATO and vice versa.
The NATO military chair emphasized how technological and military exchanges between North Korea and Russia are directly related to Europe’s security, adding that if their invasion in Europe succeeds, it could present dangers to stability between China and Taiwan, a risk necessitating even closer cooperation between NATO and Indo-Pacific countries.
Cavo Dragone said Korean defense companies have competitive strengths, such as the ability to deliver products on time and with cost-effectiveness, making them crucial NATO partners.
The meeting between the heads of Hanwha Aerospace and the NATO Military Committee came as the defense firm actively expands its engagement with NATO in terms of defense industry cooperation.
Hanwha Aerospace participated in the International Institute for Strategic Studies Prague Defence Summit in the Czech Republic last week as the only Korean company to take part in the event. During the three-day summit, Hanwha Aerospace CEO Son held a series of meetings with government officials from Europe and Australia, NATO representatives and executives from major global defense companies to talk about ways to bolster security cooperation.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte applauded the contribution of the Korean defense industry in his keynote speech at the event, saying that “South Korea played an important role in supplementing NATO's ammunition shortages because it was good, fast, and met NATO standards."
Hanwha previously became the first Korean defense company to attend the NATO Summit Defence Industry Forum in the Hague, the Netherlands, in June this year.
Demand for Hanwha Aerospace’s K9 self-propelled howitzers has been on the rise among NATO members as six of them -- Poland, Finland, Estonia, Romania, Norway and Turkey -- currently operate the Korean company’s ground weapons system.
hwkan@heraldcorp.com
![[Exclusive] Ateez to return in November](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/09/02/news-p.v1.20260902.76162fb0ba55493aad1c076f240d0750_R.jpg?type=h&h=120)