Protection Minister Ahn Kyu-baek solutions a query of a lawmaker throughout a plenary session of the Laws and Judiciary Committee on the Nationwide Meeting in Seoul, Jan. 12. Yonhap
Protection Minister Ahn Gyu-back on Wednesday known as for efforts to spice up arms exports as Korea seeks to turn into the world’s fourth-largest protection exporter by 2030.
“We are actually racing to turn into (one in every of) the world’s prime 4 nations within the arms trade,” Ahn mentioned in a coverage briefing session, additionally attended by the chiefs of the state arms procurement company and senior navy officers.
“We’re at a stage that requires an array of means to perform the objective, from export help to navy diplomacy,” he mentioned.
Ahn’s remarks got here as Korea has been searching for to diversify export designations and the kind of arms exports amid a pointy rise in exports of key weapons methods, such because the K9 self-propelled howitzer and the K2 battle tank.
In Wednesday’s session, Protection Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) Minister Lee Yong-cheol reaffirmed Korea’s objective to export $20 billion price of arms exports by 2030 to account for six p.c of the worldwide market.
Lee additionally confirmed that Korea noticed its arms exports exceed $15 billion final yr, snapping a second straight yearly decline.
“(Korea) achieved (arms) exports of over $15 billion in 2025, marking a rebound in exports, in a transfer enhancing the profitability of corporations and strengthening their foothold for progress.”
Korea logged a file $17.3 billion price of arms exports in 2022 within the wake of the warfare in Ukraine however noticed the determine fall to $13 billion and $9.6 billion in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
