South Korea streamlines defence industry access to NATO standards

The Hanwha Aerospace K9 self-propelled howitzer is operated by six NATO members, making it one of South Korea's most widely adopted defence exports within the alliance. (Hanwha Defense)

South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) has introduced procedures to enable domestic companies, research organisations, and government agencies to request and receive NATO standards.

The new ‘Guidelines on the Provision and Management of NATO Standards' are intended to support South Korean defence exports to NATO member markets by making it easier to meet interoperability, certification, and testing requirements.

The guidelines are also intended to facilitate South Korean participation in multinational research and development (R&D) programmes and help domestic suppliers ensure their equipment is interoperable with systems operated by NATO members.

DAPA said on 24 August that the guidelines establish application and distribution procedures, as well as security requirements for organisations receiving the documents.

It added that requests for NATO standards had increased in recent years as South Korean defence exports and R&D co-operation with NATO members expanded. However, the absence of formal application and management procedures meant requests had previously been processed individually, creating difficulties for companies seeking access to the standards.

DAPA Minister Lee Yong-cheol said the guidelines would provide the South Korean defence industry with “faster and more systematic” access to NATO standards.

“This will make a substantial contribution to expanding our companies' presence in the NATO defence market, including defence exports to NATO member states and participation in international joint R&D projects,” he added.