As the United States looks to strengthen its naval power amid intensifying maritime competition with China, South Korea’s world-leading shipbuilding industry is emerging as a prominent partner in rebuilding America’s shipbuilding capacity.
In this episode of our new K-Defence podcast series, Dr Lami Kim and Dr Jonathan Caverley examine what South Korea can offer the US, the obstacles that could limit greater cooperation, and how the two allies might divide labour to build a more resilient maritime industrial base.
They explore the key factors at play, such as:
- South Korea’s advantage: A highly skilled workforce, integrated supply chains and efficient production have made South Korea one of the world’s leading commercial and naval shipbuilders;
- America’s shipbuilding gap: The US faces significant challenges in production capacity, costs and timelines, creating opportunities for greater cooperation with Korean shipbuilders;
- A broader industrial partnership: Closer ROK–US cooperation could strengthen supply chains, expand production capacity and support a more resilient maritime industrial base.
We hope you enjoy the episode. Please follow, rate and subscribe to K-Defence on your preferred podcast platform.
The monthly podcast is hosted by Dr Lami Kim, IISS Korea Chair in Advanced Technologies, National Security and Defence, and produced by the IISS in London.
For more information, please visit https://www.iiss.org/.
For more information on the IISS Korea Chair, please visit IISS Korea Chair in Advanced Technologies, National Security and Defence
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