South Korea News Update 12-02-2025

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January 31, 2025 - South Korea launches FFX Batch-IV frigate development - Citing information reported by the South Korean business magazine "Business Korea" on March 27, 2023, Latvia appears to be leaning towards enhancing its military capabilities with the addition of South Korea's advanced K21 Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs). Manufactured by Hanwha Aerospace, the K21 is in the running to become the cornerstone of Latvia's armed forces' combat vehicles arsenal. Read more

January 28, 2025 - South Korea enhances defense with 24-hour monitoring and preemptive strike system - As the new year of 2025 begins, security threats surrounding the Korean Peninsula continue. On the 6th of this month, North Korea resumed missile provocations after two months by launching a medium-range ballistic missile into the East Sea, and on the 14th and 25th, it also fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles and cruise missiles. Read more

January 28, 2025  - Estonia considering buying more arms from South Korea: Defense minister - Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said his country is considering buying more arms from South Korea, local media reported Tuesday. Pevkur made the remarks during an interview with Yonhap News Agency as he held talks with South Korean Acting Defense Minister Kim Seon-ho to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the defense sector. Read more

January 27, 2025 - South Korea's aircraft engine workforce 10% of US, tech 50 years behind - South Korea’s government, along with selected prototype companies, has launched a project to develop a 16,000 lbf-class engine. However, experts warn that acquiring the necessary technology will pose significant challenges. Currently, only about 400 people are involved in domestic aircraft engine research and development, raising concerns about the need to expand the workforce. Read more

January 22, 2025 - South Korea Lays Out Engine Development Roadmap - South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) has approved the High-Tech Aviation Engine Development Roadmap, a plan that aims to develop a domestically designed engine capable of integration into a fighter jet. Read more

January 22, 2025 - Korean defense cooperation with Saudi Arabia aims for $5 billion in exports - Administrator Seok Jong-geon of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration and Minister Bin Bandar Al Saud of the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Defense agreed on medium- to long-term defense industry cooperation, increasing the possibilities for Korean defense companies to participate in Saudi Arabia's large-scale power modernization project. Read more

January 21, 2025 - South Korea, UK hold talks on defense exports - South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense hosted a defense cooperation meeting with the United Kingdom’s defense export agency, in line with the countries' joint efforts to develop opportunities in defense exports to a third country. Read more

January 21, 2025 - South Korea invests 3.35 trillion won for advanced fighter jet engine development - On the 21st, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) held the 25th-1 Advanced Technology Business Management Committee at the government complex in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, and stated that it reviewed a 'basic plan for advanced aircraft engine development' that includes the target performance, business method, and timeline for engines needed for next-generation weapons systems. Read more

January 20, 2025 - South Korea's defense industry earns $9.5 bn in exports, with profits surge - South Korea’s defense industry exports totaled 13.83 trillion won ($9.5 billion at 1,456 won per dollar) in 2024, reaching only half of the target goal. However, combined operating profits for the country’s major defense companies are expected to rise significantly due to the increasing volume of exports signed over the past two years. Read more

January 20, 2025 - South Korea nears K9 howitzer export to Vietnam, first to communist nation - According to military authorities on the 20th, South Korea and Vietnam are in the final stages of negotiations for the export of South Korean K9 self-propelled howitzers, with a contract expected to be concluded soon. Read more

January 20, 2025 - S. Korea to develop Iron Dome-like interceptor against NK artillery by 2028 - South Korea on Monday officially began the development of a homegrown interceptor system akin to Israel's Iron Dome to bolster its defense against North Korean artillery threats, the state arms procurement agency said. Read more

January 14, 2025 - S. Korea begins development of advanced L-SAM defense system - South Korea has kicked off the development of a new homegrown missile system designed to intercept targets at higher altitudes, the state arms procurement agency said Tuesday, as the country seeks to bolster its air defense capabilities against North Korean threats. Read more

January 20, 2025 - South Korea launches new army MANET development - South Korean defence prime LIG Nex1 announced that it has signed an agreement worth around US$10.5 million with the government-funded Defense Rapid Acquisition Technology Research Institute (DRATRI) to demonstrate new mobile ad hoc network (MANET) technologies for the Republic of Korea Army (RoKA). Read more

January 09, 2025 - U.S. may weigh nuclear sharing with South Korea under Trump, experts say - The incoming Trump administration may consider redeploying tactical nuclear weapons to South Korea and expanding nuclear-sharing arrangements as part of a broader strategy to pressure China, experts said at a conference co-hosted by the Brookings Institution, the Korea Research Institute for National Strategy (KRINS), and The Chosunilbo on Jan. 8. Read more

January 08, 2025 - South Korea upgrades Night Intruder 300 UA  - South Korea has completed a project to upgrade the Republic of Korea (RoK) Armed Forces' Night Intruder 300 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), also known as RQ-101. South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced on 7 January that all ageing components of RQ-101 were replaced with new components to enhance the surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities of the UAV. Read more