Relationship dossier
Israel
South Korea
Relationship assessment
A cooperative economic and technology partnership, with political differences over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Israel toward South Korea
+35Israel has pursued closer economic ties with South Korea through the bilateral free trade agreement, which entered into force in 2022, and through cooperation in research and innovation.
South Korea toward Israel
+35South Korea has pursued closer economic ties with Israel through the bilateral free trade agreement, which entered into force in 2022, and through cooperation in research and innovation.
Overall relationship
+35The relationship has a durable cooperative foundation in the bilateral free trade agreement and technology and research engagement. Differences over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict form a potential political complication, though their practical effect on bilateral cooperation is unclear.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Israel and South Korea maintain substantive economic and technological cooperation. Their bilateral free trade agreement, signed in 2021 and in force since 2022, supports closer trade ties, alongside cooperation in research and innovation. Political differences over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remain part of the relationship, but the known bilateral picture is principally cooperative.
Areas of tension
- Different government positions concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Key developments
Israel and South Korea signed a bilateral free trade agreement, creating a framework for expanded trade and economic cooperation.
The Israel–South Korea free trade agreement entered into force.
Major uncertainties
- The scale and implementation of bilateral research and technology cooperation are unclear.
- The extent to which differences over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict affect government-to-government cooperation is unclear.