South Korea has established its first institutional framework for domestic defense firms, research institutes and government agencies to obtain NATO standards, aiming to reduce administrative delays and improve weapons interoperability with NATO member states. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) will retrieve unclassified specifications from NATO's online database and provide them to eligible applicants, while classified standards will require NATO authorization. The guidelines formalize application, disclosure and security-management procedures that were previously handled by companies on a case-by-case basis. They are intended to help Korean manufacturers meet the testing and certification requirements for systems such as the K9 self-propelled howitzers and K2 main battle tanks, while broadening defense exports and supporting international joint research and development projects. DAPA Minister Kim Yong-cheol said the measure would provide NATO standards more quickly and systematically and contribute to Korean firms' access to the NATO defense market, including through component exports from plants in Poland and Romania.