The NATO–South Korea strategic alignment and contemporary order-building

Abstract The article examines the deepening relationship between NATO and South Korea within an increasingly fragmented global security environment. It advances a twofold contribution. Theoretically, it conceptualizes NATO–ROK cooperation as an emerging form of like-minded strategic alignment that goes beyond traditional alliance politics by combining institutionalized cooperation, shared identity and normative convergence. It thereby contributes to broader debates on alignment politics in an era of cross-regional security interdependence. Empirically, the article traces the evolution of NATO–South Korea relations since their formalization in the early 2000s, with particular attention to the qualitative deepening of bilateral cooperation since 2022. Drawing on official documents and elite interviews, it shows how this alignment has been shaped by the growing interdependence between Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific security theatres, China’s rise and Russia’s war against Ukraine together with its deepening cooperation with North Korea. The article argues that NATO–ROK alignment illustrates how like-minded strategic alignments are becoming key vehicles for shaping the future of the liberal international order and managing systemic rivalries under conditions of heightened geopolitical uncertainty in the twenty-first century.