The Czech Republic invited Korean defense companies to deepen cooperation on the sidelines of the ROK-Czech Joint Committee meeting on Defense Industry and Logistics, held on July 9.

ROK is the acronym for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea.

At the meeting, Czech and Korean defense companies shared their technological expertise and mutual potential.

Czech Ambassador to Korea Ivan Jancarek called for strategic defense partnerships in the face of global security challenges, referring to the recent 2025 NATO Summit held in The Hague. At the summit, members committed to spending 3.5 percent of their gross domestic product on defense and 1.5 percent on economic and infrastructure resilience.

The Czech Republic plans to significantly increase its defense budget to meet these targets, according to the ambassador.

“By 2030, Czechia will spend up to $15 billion on defense, and by 2035, this is expected to rise to $23–25 billion,” he said. Czechia is the country name preferred by the Czech government.

“If we take into account that at least 20-25 percent should go to investments in weapons, Czechia will spend $30-35 billion on purchasing new equipment in the next 10 years,” Jancarek said.

He cited a new NATO-Czech working group on military-industrial cooperation, focusing on air defense, drone protection, mechanized units and ammunition production. Czech firms offer joint project prospects in these areas based on battlefield experience from Ukraine.

“The participation of Korean companies will be welcomed,” he stressed.

“The signing of the strategic partnership between the Russian Federation and the DPRK, unfortunately, already has negative consequences for the security situation both in Europe and on the Korean Peninsula,” Jancarek said.

DPRK stands for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Despite UN sanctions, the North's military capabilities have advanced with Russian help, he said, suggesting the need for stronger Czech-Korean dialogue to deepen cooperation.

Jancarek also warned against any assistance to Russia, noting, “Any support to Russia, such as weakening its international isolation, violating sanctions, or returning to a ‘business as usual’ policy, goes against the interests of European allies and negatively affects the situation on the Korean Peninsula.”

Marking 35 years of diplomatic ties and 10 years of strategic partnership, the Czech Republic also sees Korea as a key energy ally through the Dukovany nuclear project.

Jancarek stressed the war in Ukraine is vital for Europe and the Indo-Pacific region, warning of severe consequences if Russia gains control, while praising Korea’s support for Ukraine.

"We are starting to witness initial signs of optimism, including collaboration in ammunition manufacturing, the development of drone jammers for tanks and the production of joint pistols for the Korean military.”

The committee meeting was co-chaired by Czech Director General Radka Konderlova of the Czech Ministry of Defense and Director General Tae Kon-kim of South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration.

Participating Czech firms were TGS, Colt CZ Group, Excalibur Army, URC Systems and PBS. Korean participants included Korea Defense Industry Corp., SNT Dynamics, SNT Motiv, Kia, DI Optical, WooriByul, Uconsystem, Arion Communication and Korea Aerospace Industries.