South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday urged NATO members to move beyond simple arms sales and forge a deeper industrial relationship that would include joint development, manufacturing, and deployment of weapon systems. Speaking at a NATO defense conference held alongside the alliance's summit in Ankara, Lee proposed a new framework he called a “Korea-NATO Defense Industry Partnership 2.0.” He argued that rising geopolitical instability and the growing role of advanced technologies like AI and drones in warfare make such collaboration essential, and stressed that reliable supply chains and trust are critical for any meaningful defense partnership. The proposal matters because it signals Seoul’s ambition to become a more integrated security partner with NATO, building on existing ties with several member nations.