Korea, Poland to strengthen cooperation on supply chain stability, defense

President Lee Jae Myung shakes hands with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk before a bilateral summit at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Monday. Tusk is on a two-day official visit to Korea from Sunday to Monday, marking the first such visit by a Polish prime minister in 27 years. Yonhap

The leaders of Korea and Poland agreed to bolster cooperation in supply chains in an increasingly turbulent international environment driven by tensions in the Middle East, Cheong Wa Dae said Monday.

The two nations will also deepen cooperation in defense, which has been a key pillar of bilateral ties in recent years, while expanding collaboration into new areas such as infrastructure and science and technology.

President Lee Jae Myung and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced these agreements after their summit in Seoul. It was the first visit by a Polish prime minister to Korea in 27 years.

“We, as comprehensive strategic partners, agreed to strengthen communication in the face of increasing uncertainty in the global economic and security environment,” Lee said in a joint press statement.

The president underscored the elevation of Korea-Poland ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership, which was also agreed upon during their summit.

Lee noted that he and Tusk agreed that security on the Korean Peninsula and in Europe is closely interlinked. “The two countries agreed to work together in pursuit of global peace while continuing to seek peace and prosperity in our respective regions,” he said.

“Moreover, the two countries concurred on the importance of stabilizing global supply chains in response to the crisis triggered by the war in the Middle East, and agreed to continue necessary cooperation to this end.”

Tusk also noted the two nations face an increasingly unstable international environment and various crises around the world and thus they need to work together for peace.

Lee added that bilateral defense cooperation is “taking a leap forward into the future,” pointing to a $44.2 billion arms contract signed with Poland in 2022 and subsequent cooperation.

The deal, the largest defense export agreement in Korea’s history, covers K2 tanks, K9 self-propelled howitzers, FA-50 light attack aircraft and K239 Chunmoo multiple launch rocket systems.

“Stable implementation of the already concluded agreement is necessary to further build on defense cooperation, and the importance of this was conveyed to the prime minister,” Lee said.

During the summit, Tusk described defense cooperation as “the key driving force of our bilateral relations,” according to Cheong Wa Dae. “Poland intends to continue this cooperation and accelerate efforts in technology transfer, localization and the relocation of production bases.”

Lee said he requested the Polish government to “pay greater attention and provide active support for Korean companies” that have been diversifying their investment portfolios in Poland in the electric vehicle battery sector.

He also asked for special attention to ensure that Korean companies can participate in major infrastructure projects in Poland, including a new airport connection and a Warsaw tram replacement project.

Tusk responded that Korea is the largest Asian investor in Poland. “I will continue to ensure that the investment environment for Korean companies in Poland develops in the most favorable direction possible,” Cheong Wa Dae quoted him as saying.

Tusk is on a two-day official visit to Korea from Sunday, marking his first summit with Lee.

The visit is also significant as it is Tusk’s first trip to a non-European country since taking office in 2023.

Lee met Polish President Karol Nawrocki in September 2025 on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Since its democratization in 1989, Poland has been a parliamentary democracy with a semi-presidential system, in which power is shared between a president and a prime minister.

The president primarily handles foreign affairs and defense, while the prime minister exercises executive authority focused on domestic affairs.