DAPA deputy praises punctual, tailored defense industry

Korea's defense industry is ready to quickly supply weapons tailored to fit the needs of security partners amid growing global tensions, an official from the state arms procurement agency said Wednesday.

Members of the diplomatic corps in Korea and Korean defense companies pose with keynote speakers including Kang Hwan-seug, Vice Minister of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration,at the Korea Economic Forum, organized by the Korea JoongAng Daily at Westin Josun Seoul on Wednesday. [PARK SANG-MOON]

Korea's defense industry is ready to quickly supply weapons tailored to fit the needs of security partners amid growing global tensions, an official from the state arms procurement agency said Wednesday.

Kang Hwan-seug, vice minister of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), touted the advantages of buying what he called “K-Defense,” including cost-effectiveness, high production localization and capacity, and a strong native operational testing environment, in his speech to ambassadors and representatives from 36 countries at the 2023 Korea Economic Forum (KEF), hosted by the Korea JoongAng Daily and held at the Westin Josun Hotel in central Seoul.

Kang Hwan-seug, Vice Minister of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, speaks at the Korea Economic Forum hosted by the Korea JoongAng Daily at the Westin Chosun Hotel in central Seoul on Wednesday morning. [PARK SANG-MOON]

“As the only country in the world that remains in a state of armistice, Korea maintains an excellent and stable mass production system for all major weapons and can supply them as soon as consumers demand,” Kang noted, adding that this leads to “confidence” in the country’s ability to deliver procurement orders on time.

According to Kang, another silver lining of persistent tensions on the Korean Peninsula is that Korea has built up a “strong education and training system and component procurement capability” from the military’s operational experience with domestic weapons systems, which “leads to the satisfaction on the part of countries that purchase Korean weapons.”

The DAPA vice minister further highlighted technological progress achieved by the Korean defense industry since the 1970s, when the country began production of basic weapons, to the 1990s and the current day, when prioritization of research and development led to high production localization and the creation of cutting-edge weapons systems such as the Cheongung II medium-range surface-to-air missile system and the 4.5-generation KF-21 multirole fighter.

Kang also played a video that highlighted advances in one best-selling Korean defense system, the K-9 Thunder self-propelled howitzer, the latest version of which can fire nine rounds per minute rather than the previous six.

The K-9, along with the K-2 Black Panther main battle tank, were also mentioned by the DAPA vice minister as prime examples of Korean weapon systems that offer similar bang for less buck than foreign competitors.

Observers such as Ryu Hyeong-gon, a senior fellow at the Korea Institute of Defense Technology, attributed the K-9 Thunder's popularity to its mobility and cost-effectiveness.

"While the K-9 tops the German-made PzH 2000 howitzer in terms of cost competitiveness, it only lags slightly in technical terms, creating an even playing field between the pair," he wrote in the May edition of the JoongAng Ilbo monthly publication.

Kang noted the National Assembly recently adopted laws simplifying the adoption of advanced technologies in weapons systems to allow defense manufacturers to stay abreast of the latest developments while maintaining a high delivery rate and ensuring weapons performance and quality.

Ambassador of Pakistan to Korea Nabeel Munir, left, shakes hands with Vice Minister of Defense Acquisition Program Administration Kang Hwan-seug at the 2023 Korea Economic Forum. [PARK SANG-MOON]

While the DAPA vice minister did not make specific predictions regarding the Korean defense industry, he emphasized that Seoul’s policy goal regarding defense exports is “to establish defense cooperation, and even security cooperation, through mutual trust,” noting that weapons export deals constitute “a promise of continuous follow-up military support so that the [purchasing] country can operate [a Korean weapons system] without any inconvenience throughout its life cycle.”

In his concluding remarks, Kang called defense cooperation between nations “a form of shared security,” adding that countries’ use of the same weapons system “is similar to riding the same boat in a wide sea of insecurity.

“Rather than pursuing simplistic exporter-importer relationships, we want to share our same boat with other countries through multi-layered cooperation in technology, industry, and security.”

Attendees that took photos with key speakers, first row from left, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Senior Vice President Woo Kwon-sik; Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Director An Wook-hyeon; Charge d'Affaires of Kenya Kipkosgei Toroitich; Ambassador of Ecuador Carlos Eduardo Emanuele; Ambassador-designate of Mexico Carlos Penafiel Soto; Ambassador of Dominican Republic Federico Alberto Cuello Camilo; CEO of Korea JoongAng Daily Cheong Chul-gun; Vice Minister of Defense Acquisition Program Administration Kang Hwan-seug; Gangwon Gov. Kim Jin-tae; Financial Services Commission Chairman Kim Joo-hyun; Ambassador of Norway Anne Kari Hansen Ovind; Ambassador of Pakistan Nabeel Munir; Ambassador of Rwanda Yasmin D. Amri Sued; Ambassador-designate of Guatemala Sara Solis; Ambassador of Serbia Nemanja Grbic; Minister and Deputy Chief of Mission of Thailand Bancha Yuenyongchongcharoen and Counsellor of Cambodia Lourn Saboeun. Second row, from left: Charge d’Affaires of Brunei Nur Afiqah Arifin; Deputy Head of Mission of Singapore Adrian Li; Deputy Head of Mission of Australia Alexandra Siddall; LIG Nex1 Vice President Park Sung-su; First Secretary of Angola Abel Paxe; KAI Executive Vice President and General Manager Yoon Chong-ho; Deputy Chief of Mission of India Surinder Bhagat; Hanwha Aerospace Senior Vice President Ryu Young-kwan; Charge d’Affaires of Tunisia Ahmed Chamsseddine Boughedir; Hyundai Rotem Executive Vice President Ahn Kyung-soo; Ambassador of Belarus Andrew Chernetsky; Ambassador for International Affairs of Gangwon Province Shim Jae-hyun; Ambassador of Sierra Leone Kathos Jibao Mattai; Ambassador of Ghana Charis O-L. Zwennes; Head of Economic and Commercial Affairs of Slovakia Michal Bordean; Charge d’Affaires of Poland Arletta Brzozowska; Deputy Head of Mission of Sweden Johannes Andreasson; Charge d’Affaires of Colombia Francisco Alberto Gonzalez; and Deputy Head of Mission of Latvia Peteris Podvinskis.

Members of the diplomatic corps in Korea, including ambassadors, economic counsellors and defense attaches representing nearly 40 countries, Korean financial executives and defense industry insiders at the 2023 Korea Economic Forum at the Westin Josun Seoul on Wednesday. [PARK SANG-MOON]

BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]