Foreign arms sales are an important channel for the country to enhance its international influence, and South Korea has also set the goal of becoming an "arms power". In 2023, South Korea's foreign arms sales will be close to 14 billion US dollars, a slight decline from the record high set last year, but the number of buyers will increase, reflecting South Korea's advanced development and successful entry into the international arena.
Yonhap News Agency reported that the South Korean Ministry of Defense said on December 20 that the foreign arms sales contracts signed by South Korea's largest fire merchants in 2023 are estimated to be worth nearly $14 billion, down from a record high of $17.3 billion last year.
In 2022, Poland, an important member of NATO, purchased a large number of military weapons from South Korea, including nearly 300 sets of Chunmoo multiple rocket launchers, 980 K2 Panther tanks, 648 K9 self-propelled guns and 48 FA-50 light fighters, driving a surge in the scale of South Korea's military exports.
However, in terms of the number of buyers, a total of 12 countries will purchase military weapons from South Korea in 2023, a two-fold increase from last year, and the number of types of ** systems exported will also double to 12.
In December, Hanwha Aerospace signed a $2.4 billion arms sales contract with Australia to deliver 129 Redback infantry fighting vehicles. Korea Aerospace Industrie also secured a contract of 9 for 18 FA-50 light fighter jets from Malaysia in February$200 million.
South Korean media previously reported that compared with military powers such as the United States and Europe, South Korea's military can be said to be "cheap", not only cheaper, but also faster than other countries, so it successfully attracted Poland, the United Arab Emirates and other countries to place orders.
South Korea aims to achieve a market share of 5% in the world's largest export market by 2027, becoming the world's fourth largest exporter.
Header image**: Seoul Adex).