Diplomats, military attaches gather for live-fire training followed by sales pitch

The fact that light travels faster than sound was witnessed by every pair of eyes peering over a training ground in Pocheon, Gyeonggi, on an afternoon in May as dozens of diplomats and military attaches observed a live-fire training of K-2 tanks...

A training exercise involving 31 pieces of equipment of the Korean Army on a training ground run by the 8th Manuever Division in Pocheon, Gyeonggi, on May 2. [MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS]

The fact that light travels faster than sound was witnessed by every pair of eyes peering over a training ground in Pocheon, Gyeonggi, on an afternoon in May as dozens of diplomats and military attaches observed a live-fire training of K-2 tanks.

“Please direct your attention to the target, as we will destroy the enemy tank identified and located two kilometers in front,” said a military official, addressing the jam-packed observation deck.

First a flash, then the booming sounds of the artillery shots reached the audience, as the targets marked on a hill were consecutively bombed.

The K-2 Black Panthers advanced after the shots, quickly followed by K-21 infantry fighting vehicles, and a total of 31 weapons systems subsequently bombed the targets in the 10-minute exercise.

Live-fire exercise on May 2 in Pocheon, Gyeonggi [MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS]

The drill took place at a training ground operated by the 8th Manuever Division of the Army in Pocheon on May 2, known to be one of the largest live-fire training grounds available in Asia, and the only one in the country that allows battalion-level units to conduct joint air-ground training.

While it was one of the regular training exercises that take place twice a year, this one also featured a sales pitch for the audience gathered — diplomats and military attaches representing at least a dozen nations including Australia, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Poland, Thailand and the Czech Republic.

Members of the diplomatic corps listen in as Korean military officials make a presentation about their weapons systems. [MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS]

“The tanks, self-propelled guns, and other firearms you see today are exported, contributing to strengthening security cooperation around the world,” said Lee Do-hoon, vice foreign minister, in addressing the diplomats on the observation deck.

The members of the diplomatic corps were able to climb into a K-2 Black Panther or K-21 tank, and inspect up close the K-1 tank, K-808 wheeled armored personnel carrier, K-600 combat engineering vehicle, the K-9 Thunder and K-239 Chunmoo system.

Korea’s weapons were not traditionally designed with exports in mind, but their interoperability with the U.S. weapons systems have made them an attractive alternative to European buyers especially following the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014.

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February last year, neighboring countries such as Poland began buying Korea's weapons in earnest. The European nation signed $14 billion worth of arms packages with Korea, resulting in 180 K-2 tanks by Hyndai Rotem arriving in Poland last December, with plans to help Poland eventually domestically manufacture over 800 K-2 tanks beginning in 2025 or 2026.

Observation deck on the training ground in Pocheon on May 2 [MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS]

More recently, Korean weapons have found popularity in the Indo-Pacific as well as the Middle East. Saudi Arabia began operating the K-239 Chunmoo multiple launch rocket system on its border with Yemen this year, and the United Arab Emirates also bought the Cheongung II system in a deal worth $3.5 billion last year.

Korea’s Hanwha Defense and Australia agreed to locally produce the K-9 howitzer in Geelong, Victoria in 2021. Hanwha Defense Australia’s AS-21 Redback is also competing with Germany’s Rheinmetall KF-41 Lynx for Australia’s Land 400 Phase 3 program to renew the country’s infantry fighting vehicle force.

The top Australian envoy in Seoul, Catherine Raper, was present during the drill and the post-drill on-site inspections of the weapons.

Members of the diplomatic corps in Korea, including Australian Ambassador Catherine Raper, second from right, and U.A.E. defense attache Hamad Mohamed Khalfan Hamad Alkindi, third from right, listen in as Korean military officials make a presentation about their weapons systems. [MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS]

Stopping by a K-9, Raper posed a few questions on whether the Korean military had any plans to reduce the minimum number of crew needed to operate each K-9 tank, to which a military official on site responded promptly that the newly developed K-9 A-2 tanks are equipped with an automatic loading system that would allow such reduction of crew members.

The defense industry of Korea may continue to benefit from the tension among blocs in what’s increasingly dubbed as the New Cold War era.

Czech Ambassador to Korea Gustav Slamecka addresses the military officials at a training ground in Pocheon, Gyeonggi, on May 2. [MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS]

Korea’s top five weapons exporters had a total order backlog worth 100.5 trillion won ($74.9 billion) as of the end of last year. Hanwha Aerospace topped the list with 52.7 trillion won, tailed by Korea Aerospace Industries at 24.6 trillion won, LIG Nex1 at 12.3 trillion won, DSME at 6.4 trillion won and Hyundai Rotem at 4.5 trillion won. Korea intends to become a top-four nation when it comes to its weapons exports by 2027, to be ranked alongside the United States, Russia and France.

“The world is becoming a lot more dangerous these days, with the war in Ukraine and other conflicts,” said Gustav Slamecka, the Czech ambassador in Seoul. “Countries respond by spending more money on arming [themselves.] Korea is one of the major producers with high efficiency weapons so we are looking at Korea as a potential supplier to the Czech Republic.”

Mathias Francke, ambassador of Chile to Korea, speaks with the press after observing K-2 and K-21 tanks of Korea at a training ground in Pocheon, Gyeonggi, on May 2. [MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS]

Chile’s Marine Corps bought 30 Kia Light Tactical Vehicles last year.

“They have been in operation since November last year,” said Mathias Francke, ambassador of Chile to Korea, in speaking with a group of reporters on the training ground after disembarking from a tank. “It’s a first step in providing more Korean technology to our [defense system].”

Members of the diplomatic corps in Korea and Vice Foreign Minister Lee Do-hoon, fifth from front left, visit a training ground operated by the 8th Manuever Division in Pocheon, Gyeonggi, on May 2. Behind them are K-2, K-21 tanks. [MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS]

BY ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]