Like knows like? Arms trade between South Korea and Poland

Abstract

South Korea has drastically increased its arms exports to Poland against the backdrop of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Although economic factors help explain this increase, we need to enquire deeply into the upsurge of interest since the arms trade is also dictated by ideological and geopolitical considerations. This article investigates the seemingly arbitrary export of arms from South Korea to Poland by employing the concept of middle power. Although arms trade between middle powers is not rare, it is rare that South Korea has increased its volume to Poland by more than tenfold in a single year. In East Asian countries’ race to increase their military presence in Europe, China has strengthened its military cooperation with Serbia, while Japan has joined with Italy and the UK to develop the next generation of combat aircraft. South Korea, instead, has made its foray into Poland, continuously exploiting the potential there and exploring the possibility of middle-power alliance.