The partnership between NATO’s four Indo-Pacific partners — South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand — has taken on renewed importance amid growing evidence that North Korea is deploying troops to Ukraine and increasing apprehension over China’s regional ambitions.

At the NATO Defense Ministers’ Meeting in Brussels on Oct. 17, South Korea’s Vice Defense Minister Kim Seonho took the opportunity to outline specific proposals to enhance cooperation between NATO and the so-called IP4 nations, including strengthening strategic information sharing, deepening defense collaboration and coordinating responses to regional security challenges.

Experts told Korea Prothat South Korea is uniquely positioned