Encouraging Local Businesses and Signing Win-Win Cooperation Agreements
Hong Nampyo, Mayor of Changwon Special City in Gyeongnam, who is on an overseas business trip, promoted local defense industry companies and encouraged businesses at the 31st Poland International Defense Industry Exhibition (MSPO) held in Kielce, Poland, from the 5th to the 8th.
According to the city on the 6th, the MSPO International Defense Exhibition is the largest international defense industry exhibition in Poland and ranks third in scale in Europe after France and the United Kingdom.
This year, Korea is participating as the main country hosting the opening and closing ceremonies and organizing side events, conducting the opening ceremony, high-level talks, and the Korea-Poland defense cooperation joint seminar.
Changwon Mayor Hong Nampyo (left) and Heo Geonyeong, President of the Defense Technology Quality Institute, are touring the Hanwha Aerospace booth at the MSPO International Defense Exhibition together. [Photo by Changwon Special City Hall]
Mayor Hong, who was officially invited, attended the Expo Gala Opening Ceremony and a luncheon hosted by the Polish Ministry of National Defense on the 5th.
He met with officials from the Polish Ministry of National Defense and company representatives to understand the current status of the global defense market and focused on diplomacy to promote the status of Changwon as a key defense city and support local defense companies' global expansion.
On that day, Polish President Andrzej Duda and the Minister of National Defense visited booths of Hanwha Aerospace and Hyundai Rotem.
Mayor Hong, along with President Duda, examined defense weapons such as Homar-K at the Hanwha Aerospace booth and received explanations about key weapon systems, including the K2 tank, from Hyundai Rotem officials.
Changwon City signed a win-win cooperation agreement for mutual growth between large and small-medium enterprises in the defense industry with Hanwha Aerospace (above) and Hyundai Rotem at the MSPO International Defense Industry Exhibition. [Photo by Changwon Special City Hall]
On the same day, Changwon City signed a win-win cooperation agreement with Hanwha Aerospace for the mutual growth of large and small-to-medium enterprises.
Mayor Hong and CEO Son Jae-il promised mutual efforts to expand exports and activate overseas joint ventures between system companies and partner companies.
On the 6th, a similar agreement was signed with Hyundai Rotem, and Mayor Hong had a friendly talk with CEO Lee Yong-bae.
Mayor Hong said, “The export competitiveness of K-defense is sustainable when there is organic collaboration between system companies and partner companies,” adding, “Until the day K-defense stands tall in the global market, Changwon City will actively support the export expansion and mutual growth of defense system companies and partner companies.”
During a luncheon meeting with representatives from ISPEC, Suoptics, and Firstec on the same day, he said, “The performance of Changwon's small and medium defense companies in the global defense market is outstanding,” and “Changwon City will support the mutual growth of large and small-to-medium enterprises and the expansion of export channels to sustain the K-defense boom.”
Changwon Mayor Hong Nampyo (second from the left), Hyundai Rotem CEO Lee Yong-bae, and Polish President Andrzej Duda are listening to an explanation about tanks at the Hyundai Rotem booth at the MSPO International Defense Exhibition. [Photo by Changwon Special City Hall]
Afterwards, Mayor Hong visited the booth of WZM, a company under the Polish state-owned defense group PGZ, where he had a cordial discussion with officials, introduced Changwon and local defense companies, and discussed cooperation plans.
WZM, located in Pozna?, which is set to sign an international friendship city agreement with Changwon City, is a company that signed a consortium implementation agreement in March with Hyundai Rotem for the production and delivery of the Polish version of the K2 PL tank.
At a reception hosted by the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of Korea, Mayor Hong engaged in defense diplomacy by meeting with defense ministry officials from various countries.
Mayor Hong said, “Due to the nature of the defense market, contact between related government agencies and companies is important,” adding, “Changwon City is striving to activate exports and build networks so that defense companies can expand globally, and is always ready to cooperate with governments of various countries on defense.”
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