Page 18 - SEOUL ADEX 2023 - DAY 1

South Korea-U.S. Defence Ties Evolve

The U.S.-South Korea relationship in the Research Institute. The country has set its country’s openness to technology transfer
defence realm, which for decades was sights higher and wants to be the fourth deals and co-production. A prime example
characterized by the heavy dependance of largest weapons exporter by 2027. of this is the major tanks deal with Poland.
the Asian nation on Washington for weap- While the first 180 K2 tanks will arrive in
ons, is no longer a one-way street. South Korea’s defence exports increased Poland by the end of the year, the remain-
from US$3 billion in 2020 to US$7 billion in ing 800 will be built and assembled in
In November last year, the U.S. decided to 2021 and looks likely to touch the US$10 Poland. Another has to with costs – Korean
buy 100,000 rounds of howitzer artillery billion mark this year. It is still a fraction weapons are considerably less expensive
from South Korean manufacturers to pro- of what the U.S. sells – sales of military than American or European weapons and
vide to Ukraine to help the country thwart weapons between the U.S. and foreign gov- comparable to them when it comes to
Russian aggression. The U.S., which is ernments were US$51.9 billion in fiscal year capabilities.
dealing with a depleted stockpile of weap- 2022 – but the potential for growth of the
ons because of the assistance it has been industry is immense, if one were to go by The list of countries seeking weapons from
providing Ukraine, had expressed interest the keen interest shown in its products by South Korea is growing. In January this year,
in buying more, but in April this year, South international militaries.
Korean media reported that the coun- Estonia decided to procure an additional
try would instead lend the United States Due to the country’s long-standing ties with twelve K9 Thunder self-propelled howit-
500,000 rounds of 155mm artillery shells. the U.S., South Korea’s defence industry zers from South Korea’s Hanwha Techwin.
has focused on the need for interoperabil- The country had earlier signed a contract
The scales, however, are still tilted heav- ity while developing weapons. This makes for the delivery of 24 of the self-propelled
ily in favor of U.S. defence contractors. In weapons made by South Korean compa- artillery units. Delivery is scheduled for
September, the United States approved nies an attractive option for NATO countries 2026. Turkey, Poland, Finland and Norway
a US$5 billion sale to South Korea of 25 and other militaries that are looking beyond are the other international customers of
Lockheed Martin F-35 jets as well as Washington for their defence needs. the gun. Norwegian ammunition manufac-
engines and related equipment. South turer Nammo also has an agreement with
Korea has operated the fifth-generation A major reason for the speedy growth of Hyundai Rotem to develop new 120mm
fighter jet since 2018. The days of near-to- the South Korean defence industry is the rounds for the K2 tank.
tal reliance on the U.S. for weapons are
over, but industry analysts expect the U.S.
to continue providing the Asian nation spe-
cialized weapons.

The rapid growth of South Korea’s indige-
nous defence industry and the acceptance
of its weapons in Europe and other regions
is a cause of concern for U.S. defence con-
tractors that have traditionally cornered a
large share of arms sales globally. South
Korea is currently the world’s eighth-largest
arms exporter, with exports jumping 177
per cent between 2016 and 2021, accord-
ing to the Stockholm International Peace

18 OCTOBER-17-2023 WWW.GBP.COM.SG/DAILY NEWS