First came K-pop , then K-drama, Now it's K-defense: South Korea's weapons industry goes global

 

 First came K-pop , then K-drama, Now it's K-defense: South Korea's weapons industry goes global

SEOUL -- First came K-pop. Then came K-drama. Now South Korea is ready to seize another booming export niche: weapons. President Yoon Suk Yeol calls it K-defense.
 
Already a powerhouse for technology like chips and batteries, South Korea is now the world's ninth-largest arms exporter, with the volume of its exports up 74% in the five years from 2018 to 2022. In 2022, Yoon announced his goal of taking the world's fourth spot by 2027.

The country's defense companies, whose skills have been honed amid a seven-decade-old confrontation with North Korea, are increasingly looking abroad for business opportunities. South Korea is building a reputation for being able to fill orders quickly at a time of backlogs in other parts of the world.
 
For example, South Korean artillery shells are in high demand due to the Ukraine war. Banned by law to provide directly to a conflict zone, the shells are backfilling U.S. supplies sent to Kyiv.
 
South Korea is now the world's ninth-largest arms exporter, with the volume of its exports up 74% in the five years from 2018 to 2022. Yoon wants it to be the world's fourth by 2027.