The Republic of Korea (ROK) is a rising arms exporter with a unique position in the Indo-Pacific. As a country that has technically remained at war with North Korea, the ROK needs to manoeuvre between the US, its largest security and second biggest trading partner, and China, its largest trading partner and critical partner in the non-proliferation effort in the Korean Peninsula. On the other hand, the ROK is increasingly seen as a regional security partner for Southeast Asia