[INTERVIEW] Korean arms firms need European joint ventures to expand NATO ties: Czech defense chief

Czech Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Jaromír Zůna said Korean defense companies may need joint ventures and local production partnerships in NATO member states to expand in Europe. Speaking in Seoul, he pointed to Poland as the model and said such cooperation could open doors to the Czech market and NATO. He also said Korea and the Czech Republic could expand cooperation in small arms and military vehicles. Zůna added that Czech defense procurement is largely committed through 2035.

Zůna said Poland shows how Korean defense firms can build industry around K2 tanks through cooperation with South Korean businesses.

He said European countries are considering the K2 as a potential main battle tank.

Zůna said the Czech Republic and Korea could cooperate in small arms, military mobility platforms, and vehicles such as those made by Colt CZ and Tatra.

He said major Czech procurement projects are already planned through 2035, limiting near-term room for new large defense acquisitions.

He said Korea’s access to sophisticated military material and ammunition is an important area being discussed in Europe and the Euro-Atlantic area.

Published Sep 10, 2026 7:00 am KST

Jaromír Zůna, left, deputy prime minister and defense minister of the Czech Republic, speaks during an interview at the Czech Embassy in Seoul, Sept. 7. Seated on the right is Czech Ambassador to Korea Ivan Jancarek. Courtesy of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic

Korean defense companies seeking to expand their ties with NATO member nations may need to establish joint ventures and local production partnerships in member states, following the model they have built in Poland, Czech Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Jaromír Zůna said Monday.

“Poland is not only buying (Korea’s K2 tanks). Basically, it is building industry around it in cooperation with South Korean businesses,” Zůna said during an interview with The Korea Times at the Czech Embassy in Seoul.

“Poland is a prime example of how it should be done — basically creating a joint venture, transferring technology from South Korea to the European partner,” he said, noting that a number of European countries are considering the K2 as a potential main battle tank.

Zůna was in Seoul to attend the Seoul Defense Dialogue, an annual multilateral security forum hosted by Korea’s Ministry of National Defense. This year’s forum ran from Monday through Wednesday. During his visit, he also met Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back to discuss bilateral defense and security cooperation.

The minister said the same partnership model could help Korean defense companies enter the Czech market and, more broadly, expand their access to Europe and NATO.

“It is necessary to find a partner in the Czech Republic ... Geographical distances exists and logistically it is a challenge, but in today's world there is no impediment to cooperate even between the countries,” he said.

“There always has to be partnership and there always has to be joint venture, because that also opens the door not only to the Czech market or acquisitions, but also within Europe and NATO.”

His remarks underscore the growing importance of localization as Korean defense companies seek a larger share of the European arms market, where governments increasingly emphasize domestic industrial participation, supply chain security and interoperability alongside weapons performance.

The issue has taken on greater significance after Hanwha Ocean lost Canada’s 60 billion Canadian dollar ($43.5 billion) submarine contract to Germany’s TKMS in July, a decision Ottawa attributed to NATO interoperability as well as strategic and security interests.

Visitors pose in front of a K2PL Polish variant of the Korean K2 Black Panther tank, on the first day of the 34th International Defence Industry Exhibition in Kielce, Poland, Sept. 8. The 34th International Defence Industry Exhibition runs in Kielce, Poland, Sept. 8 to 12. AFP-Yonhap

Zůna, who previously served in senior NATO positions, said European countries, including the Czech Republic, are also reassessing their defense strategies as Washington shifts more of its strategic attention and military resources toward Asia.

“It is important that if the U.S. is shifting its focus on Asia and also we'll have to shift certain military capacities into this region, which means that additional burden will be imposed on the European NATO member states to increase or strengthen our own ability to defend ourselves,” he said.

Asked where defense cooperation between Seoul and Prague could expand, Zůna pointed to small arms and military vehicles as two promising areas.

He said Czech firearms maker Colt CZ is seeking to expand its business in Korea, while military mobility platforms could offer another avenue for cooperation.

“It is the whole family of small arms, because Colt CZ is now a world-class company,” he said. “Second would be the commonality of platforms, basically military mobility — TATRA plus other vehicles.”

Colt CZ and Tatra are both major Czech manufacturers. Zůna noted that the Czech Republic produces a broad range of off-road military vehicles and wheeled armored personnel carriers and is preparing to expand production of infantry fighting vehicles beginning next year.

However, Zůna noted opportunities for major new Czech procurement projects involving Korea may be limited in the near term because Prague’s defense acquisition plans are largely committed through 2035.

“Every major or strategic armament project takes somewhere between six to 10 years as a minimum. So everything is already planned in the republic,” he said.

Similar constraints exist elsewhere in Europe, he said, making cooperation in production capacity and supply chains another potentially important area. European defense planners are increasingly examining how production of military equipment can be distributed among partners, particularly as countries seek reliable access to weapons and ammunition during periods of heightened demand.

Zůna said Korea’s ability to produce sophisticated military equipment and ammunition could make it an important partner in that effort.

“(Korea) always has access to military material, especially sophisticated ammunition,” he said. “That is a very important area which is now being discussed in Europe and, I would say, in the Euro-Atlantic area.”

捷克副总理兼国防部长雅罗米尔·祖纳表示，韩国国防企业若想拓展欧洲市场，可能需要在北约成员国建立合资企业和本地生产伙伴关系。他在首尔发表讲话时，以波兰为例，指出此类合作可以为捷克市场和北约打开大门。他还表示，韩国和捷克可以在小型武器和军用车辆领域扩大合作。祖纳补充说，捷克的国防采购计划已基本落实到2035年。

Zůna表示，波兰的例子表明，韩国国防企业可以通过与韩国企业合作，围绕K2坦克建立产业。

他说，欧洲国家正在考虑将K2作为潜在的主战坦克。

祖纳表示，捷克共和国和韩国可以在小型武器、军事机动平台和车辆（例如柯尔特CZ和塔特拉生产的车辆）方面开展合作。

他表示，捷克的主要采购项目已经规划到 2035 年，这限制了近期进行新的大型国防采购的空间。

他表示，韩国获得先进军事物资和弹药的途径是欧洲和欧洲-大西洋地区正在讨论的一个重要领域。

发布于2026年9月10日 上午7:00（韩国标准时间）

9月7日，捷克共和国副总理兼国防部长雅罗米尔·祖纳（左）在首尔捷克大使馆接受采访。捷克驻韩国大使伊万·扬卡雷克（右）坐在他旁边。图片由捷克国防部提供。

捷克副总理兼国防部长雅罗米尔·祖纳周一表示，韩国国防企业若想扩大与北约成员国的联系，可能需要效仿在波兰建立的模式，在成员国建立合资企业和本地生产伙伴关系。

“波兰不仅仅是购买（韩国的K2坦克）。基本上，它正在与韩国企业合作，围绕K2坦克建立产业，”祖纳在首尔捷克大使馆接受《韩国时报》采访时表示。

“波兰就是一个很好的例子，说明了应该如何做——基本上是成立一家合资企业，将技术从韩国转移到欧洲合作伙伴，”他说道，并指出一些欧洲国家正在考虑将K2作为潜在的主战坦克。

祖纳此次到访首尔是为了出席由韩国国防部主办的年度多边安全论坛——首尔防务对话。今年的论坛从周一持续到周三。访问期间，他还与韩国国防部长安圭培会面，讨论了双边防务与安全合作。

该部长表示，同样的合作模式可以帮助韩国国防企业进入捷克市场，更广泛地说，还可以帮助它们扩大进入欧洲和北约市场的渠道。

“有必要在捷克共和国寻找合作伙伴……地理距离是存在的，物流方面也是个挑战，但在当今世界，即使是国家之间，合作也没有任何障碍，”他说。

“必须始终建立伙伴关系和合资企业，因为这不仅能打开捷克市场或进行收购的大门，还能打开欧洲和北约市场的大门。”

他的言论凸显了本土化日益增长的重要性，因为韩国国防企业正在寻求在欧洲武器市场获得更大的份额，而各国政府除了武器性能之外，也越来越重视国内工业参与、供应链安全和互操作性。

在韩华海洋公司于 7 月份将价值 600 亿加元（435 亿美元）的加拿大潜艇合同拱手让给德国 TKMS 公司后，这个问题变得更加重要。渥太华方面将此决定归因于北约的互操作性以及战略和安全利益。

9月8日，在波兰凯尔采举行的第34届国际防务工业展览会首日，参观者在一辆波兰制造的K2PL型K2“黑豹”坦克（韩国K2“黑豹”坦克的波兰版本）前合影。第34届国际防务工业展览会于9月8日至12日在波兰凯尔采举行。（法新社-韩联社）

曾担任北约高级职务的祖纳表示，随着华盛顿将更多的战略注意力和军事资源转移到亚洲，包括捷克共和国在内的欧洲国家也在重新评估其国防战略。

他说：“重要的是，如果美国将重心转移到亚洲，我们也必须将某些军事能力转移到该地区，这意味着欧洲北约成员国将面临额外的负担，需要提高或加强我们自身的防御能力。”

当被问及首尔和布拉格之间的国防合作可以在哪些方面扩大时，祖纳指出小型武器和军用车辆是两个很有前景的领域。

他表示，捷克枪械制造商柯尔特CZ公司正寻求扩大其在韩国的业务，而军事机动平台可能提供另一种合作途径。

他说：“这是整个小型武器系列，因为柯尔特CZ现在是一家世界一流的公司。其次是平台的通用性，基本上就是军事机动性——TATRA加上其他车辆。”

Colt CZ 和 Tatra 都是捷克的主要制造商。Zůna 指出，捷克共和国生产各种越野军用车辆和轮式装甲运兵车，并准备从明年开始扩大步兵战车的生产。

然而，Zůna 指出，由于布拉格的国防采购计划已基本排满至 2035 年，因此近期捷克与韩国开展重大新采购项目的机会可能有限。

他说：“任何重大或战略性军备项目至少需要六到十年时间。因此，共和国的一切计划都已经制定好了。”

他表示，欧洲其他地区也存在类似的制约因素，因此在产能和供应链方面的合作是另一个潜在的重要领域。欧洲国防规划人员正日益关注如何在合作伙伴之间分配军事装备的生产，尤其是在各国寻求在需求高峰期可靠地获得武器弹药的情况下。

Zůna表示，韩国有能力生产先进的军事装备和弹药，这可能使其成为这项努力的重要合作伙伴。

他说：“（韩国）一直都能获得军事物资，尤其是先进弹药。这是一个非常重要的领域，目前欧洲乃至整个欧洲-大西洋地区都在讨论这个问题。”