Croatia, South Korea lay groundwork for defence industry cooperation

Ambassador Lee Seungbum recalled last year’s visit by Croatian Defence Minister Ivan Anušić to South Korea, where he met National Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back.

“It was the first meeting at the defence minister level. Talks were launched on future cooperation between the two countries in the defence industry,” he said, adding that today’s conference was a direct outcome of those discussions and that the groundwork for future cooperation had been laid at the time.

He said he believed presentations by leading South Korean and Croatian defence companies would enable a strong partnership between the two friendly countries. Since the end of the Cold War, many nations had enjoyed peace, he noted, but not his own, which continues to face constant threats from its northern neighbour. Those threats, he said, had driven continuous development of the defence industry over recent decades.

“Research, development, testing and production in the defence sector have never stopped and have only expanded,” the ambassador said.

South Korea is, in his words, a strong NATO partner sharing many common values. A security and partnership agreement with the European Union has been in force since 2024.

He noted that more than 200,000 South Koreans visit Croatia each year and that the country is the only Asian state with a direct air link to Zagreb. He expressed hope for substantial gains from defence cooperation between the two countries.

State Secretary at the Defence Ministry Tomislav Galic said the gathering underscored exceptionally strong bilateral ties spanning more than 30 years.

Military cooperation would be future-oriented, he said, with the greatest potential in the defence industry segment. He added that some Croatian companies already offer high-quality products recognised globally, citing Dok-Ing, a world leader in demining machinery, as well as weapons maker HS Produkt and equipment producers Sestan-Busch and Orqa.

Galic thanked South Korea for its generous donation to Dok-Ing, whose equipment is also being used in demining efforts in Ukraine.

He also briefed South Korean participants on the modernisation of Croatia’s armed forces and defence spending.

Alen Goran Basarac, head of the cluster, outlined the capabilities of Croatia’s defence industry, which comprises more than 90 companies with annual exports exceeding €290 million.

He described the sector as small but highly capable.