Changwon Special City and Navy Co-Host Successful Yi Sun-sin Defense Industry Exhibition

Advanced Weapon Systems Showcased at Naval Academy Parade Ground
60 Export Consultations Scheduled, Interest in Corporate Briefings and Seminars

The opening ceremony of the ‘24 Yi Sun-sin Defense Industry Exhibition (YIDEX),’ jointly hosted by Changwon Special City, Gyeongnam, and the Navy, was successfully held on the 24th at the Naval Academy in Jinhae.

Co-hosted by Changwon Special City, the Naval Academy, and the Naval Logistics Command, and organized by the Changwon Industry Promotion Agency, the event was attended by Hong Nam-pyo, Mayor of Changwon Special City; Kang Dong-gil, Vice Chief of Naval Staff; Lee Soo-yeol, Superintendent of the Naval Academy; Ahn Sang-min, Commander of the Naval Logistics Command; Kang Hwan-seok, Deputy Administrator of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration; as well as representatives from over 100 domestic and international defense companies, defense attach? groups from 26 countries including the United States, and the Polish Investment and Trade Agency, totaling around 800 defense industry personnel.

Hong Nampyo, Mayor of Changwon Special City, is giving a speech at the opening ceremony of the Yi Sun-sin Defense Industry Exhibition.

The event began at the Naval Academy’s Ungpo Auditorium with a vigorous fanfare performance by the Navy Band, followed by the opening ceremony, a promotional video of unmanned combat systems, and then proceeded with the ribbon-cutting for the weapons system exhibition hall opening and an airshow by the Black Eagles.

At the Naval Academy parade ground adjacent to the sea, more than 30 advanced land, sea, and air weapon systems were showcased, including wheeled armored vehicles (K808), infantry medium-range guided missiles, K1A2 tanks, K9A1 self-propelled howitzers, battalion reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicles, and the MUH-1 (Marinon) helicopter, along with 150 exhibition booths from 68 companies.

Changwon Special City, Successful Hosting of the 2024 Yi Sun-sin Defense Industry Exhibition (YIDEX).

Now in its fourth year, the Yi Sun-sin Defense Industry Exhibition has expanded the overall scale of the event compared to previous years, enhancing export consultations, academic seminars, and citizen experience programs.

On the 25th and 26th, various academic events will be held, including the ‘2024 Ship Technology and Weapon Systems Seminar,’ jointly hosted by the Navy and the Korean Society of Naval Architects and Ocean Engineers, and the ‘Chungmugong Academic Seminar’ on the 26th, organized by the Naval Academy’s Marine Research Institute.

Additionally, a business export consultation meeting involving about 10 overseas companies and over 60 domestic companies is scheduled, raising expectations for numerous export contracts.

Especially on the final day of the event, the 27th, a variety of engaging programs and attractions open to the public will be held, including a military band concert, Navy honor guard demonstrations, ship tours, Taekwondo demonstrations, Turtle Ship boarding experiences, and ship assembly block activities.

Mayor Hong stated, “I hope this event will be a valuable opportunity for domestic and international defense industry stakeholders to communicate and exchange ideas for the future of the defense industry in line with the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Going forward, Changwon Special City will continue to accelerate the creation of the Changwon Defense and Nuclear Fusion National Industrial Complex and related infrastructure innovations to make our city a magnet for talent, ensuring that the defense industry becomes a sustainable growth engine for the Republic of Korea.”

Vice Chief of Naval Staff Kang Dong-gil said, “We are pleased that the Yi Sun-sin Defense Industry Exhibition, aimed at revitalizing the national defense industry and fostering future-oriented development, is being held at the Naval Academy, the cradle of maritime defense and national security. Our Navy, which aims to build future naval power based on advanced scientific technology, will make various efforts to actively support the government’s maritime defense export through the Yi Sun-sin Defense Industry Exhibition.”