The release of the 2025 National Security Strategy (“NSS”) provides the definitive strategic blueprint for the new administration’s foreign policy. While the NSS outlines a broad global framework, its core emphasis on geoeconomic competition and strategic reindustrialization carries profound and immediate implications for the Republic of Korea (“ROK”), its corporate sector, and the U.S.–ROK alliance. For Korean conglomerates (chaebols) that drive the nation’s economy, the NSS signals a pivot away from traditional security concerns toward a strategic architecture built on industrial alignment and supply chain integrity. Below are the key takeaways most relevant to Korean companies and the evolving U.S.–ROK alliance:

1. Geoeconomic Realignment and Strategic Supply Chain Mandates

The NSS formally embeds economic security as an indispensable component of national security. It positions the ROK, alongside the Quad partners like Japan, Australia, and India, as a critical node in a trusted network engineered to secure strategic supply chains, specifically mentioning critical minerals, emerging technologies, and energy infrastructure.

The NSS highlights U.S. dependence on concentrated mineral supply chains and calls for diversified sourcing with trusted allies. Furthermore, the NSS defines U.S.–China competition as systemic, mandating more stringent controls on the transfer of sensitive and dual-use technologies.

Importantly, the resulting compliance landscape does not present a binary choice between the United States and China; rather, Korean companies will need to structure supply chains and governance frameworks that protect U.S. market access while managing ongoing commercial exposure to China.

Implication for Korean companies: Korean companies active in EV batteries, advanced manufacturing, and strategic materials (lithium, nickel, rare earths) face a regulatory duality. They stand to benefit significantly from incentive alignment under U.S. federal programs and reshoring initiatives. However, participation is now conditioned upon rigorous compliance with increasingly strict U.S. regulatory frameworks, including Foreign Entities of Concern (FEOC) restrictions and proactive management of export controls and Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) review risks, particularly where federal financial support is involved.

2. Increased Expectation for Defense Burden-Sharing and Dual-Use Capabilities

The NSS sets a clear and elevated standard for alliance burden-sharing. It explicitly calls for allies, including the ROK, to significantly increase defense spending and expand the industrial capacity necessary to meet collective security objectives.

It signals a focus on the rapid deployment and integration of cutting-edge dual-use technologies, particularly in artificial intelligence (AI), biotechnology, and quantum computing, recognizing them as immediate drivers of both national security and economic resilience. This signals a formal sectoral convergence where technological leadership is viewed synonymously with military and economic power.

Implication for Korean companies: Korean companies with capabilities in aerospace, defense, advanced robotics, and specialized materials should prepare for increased ROK defense procurement opportunities and a mandate for greater interoperability with U.S. defense modernization programs. As a leading global defense exporter, Korea’s defense industry stands to benefit from deeper integration with U.S. modernization initiatives, even while managing pricing and procurement pressures arising from U.S. tariffs and industrial policy constraints. Companies exposed to sensitive intellectual property or technology transfers, especially those with research and manufacturing footprints intersecting with China, must immediately reinforce their internal compliance and technology screening frameworks to mitigate export control and investment review risk.

3. Strategic Opportunities in Indo-Pacific Infrastructure

The NSS emphasizes private-sector–led economic engagement in physical and digital infrastructure across the Indo-Pacific region. The ROK’s globally recognized expertise in Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC), nuclear and renewable energy, smart grid infrastructure, shipbuilding, and critical manufacturing aligns strongly with these objectives.

Implication for Korean companies: Korean companies should anticipate greater opportunities as preferred partners in major regional projects. These opportunities extend beyond core construction to include advanced solutions for grid modernization, clean energy corridors, data center build-outs, and resilient port infrastructure. Although framed within an Indo-Pacific context, aligned opportunities will also emerge in the Middle East and Europe, regions where Korean companies already maintain a strong commercial presence, particularly as China plays a reduced role in U.S.-aligned infrastructure initiatives. Additionally, Korean entities should consider exploring funding structured through multilateral development banks (MDBs) and development finance institutions (DFIs), where they are well positioned to play a key role in structuring and deploying financing vehicles that accelerate infrastructure development in strategic emerging markets.

Conclusion: The Dual Mandate of Compliance and Opportunity

The 2025 NSS reconfirms the ROK’s status as an indispensable frontline ally and critical industrial partner in U.S. strategic, economic, and technological planning.

This standing translates into a clear, dual-track operational mandate for the Korean corporate sector. Korean companies will need to (1) seize the substantial opportunities created by U.S. industrial policy and (2) manage the growing regulatory complexities around supply chains, technology controls, and U.S.–China exposure. Success in the next phase of the U.S.–ROK strategic partnership will depend on corporate governance that effectively integrates proactive strategic alignment, guided carefully by legal and compliance advisors, with the practical realities outlined in the 2025 NSS.