South Korea’s Defense Startups Surge as Global Conflicts Flare

South Korea’s defense industry has long been one of the country’s most closed corporate ecosystems. Now, startups making experimental weapons for modern warfare are emerging, aided by an uptick in global conflict.

Domestic manufacturers can churn out NATO-standard weapons cheaper and quicker than many established Western rivals, which has allowed them to capitalize on growing global demand, including selling tanks to key Ukraine ally Poland and missile interceptors to the United Arab Emirates as the conflict in Iran spirals.