NATO’s Assistant Secretary General for Defence Industry, Innovation and Armaments, Tarja Jaakkola, visited South Korea and Japan from 11 to 15 May for talks on strengthening defence industrial cooperation.
Jaakkola said NATO was working with South Korea and Japan “to bring them closer to NATO” as it seeks a stronger defence industrial base across the alliance and closer cooperation with partners, the alliance press service reported on Friday.
During the trip, she chaired the second NATO–Korea and NATO–Japan Defence Industrial Cooperation and Capabilities Dialogues, where officials “identified shared interests” and discussed ways to deepen cooperation.
NATO said a priority is improving interoperability — the ability of different militaries’ equipment and systems to work together — through co-development, co-production, joint acquisition and the use of common standards.
The pact added the discussions also covered practical cooperation, including multilateral projects in space, supply chain security, defence-critical raw materials and innovation.
Meetings with industry and universities
The visit included meetings with defence industry representatives in both countries, NATO said.
“We need the best capabilities, at scale and at pace, and we need to incorporate the latest technology,” Jaakkola declared.
“What the innovators are working on can help to keep the Indo-Pacific safe and contribute to geopolitical stability," she added.
Talks in Seoul and Tokyo also covered the NATO Summit Defence Industry Forum 2026, due to take place on 7 July on the margins of the NATO Summit in Ankara.
Jaakkola also met students at Yonsei University in Seoul and the University of Tokyo to discuss NATO’s role, priorities and the current security environment.
