‘Rampant Defense Exhibitions’ Further Encouraged by the Military [Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club]

Ministry of National Defense Followed by Defense Acquisition Program Administration and Army Headquarters Sponsoring DX KOREA
Ground Weapon Exhibitions Held at Different Venues One Week Apart

The military is being criticized for encouraging the rampant hosting of defense industry exhibitions. Following the Ministry of National Defense, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) and the Army Headquarters also approved the use of sponsorship titles applied for by the private exhibition company Defense Expo (IDK), which leads the ground weapons defense exhibition ‘DX KOREA 2024.’ As a result, ground weapons exhibitions will be held at different venues one week apart from ‘KADEX 2024.’ Both competing ground weapons exhibitions are receiving sponsorship from the Ministry of National Defense, DAPA, and the Army Headquarters.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to DAPA, the Army Headquarters, and DX KOREA 2024 on the 13th, the Ministry of National Defense approved the use of the sponsorship title on the 4th of last month, and DAPA and the Army Headquarters approved it on the 8th and 12th of this month, respectively. Previously, the Ministry of National Defense, DAPA, and the Army Headquarters also approved the use of the sponsorship title applied for by the Army Association, a veterans’ organization, for ‘KADEX 2024,’ a ground weapons defense exhibition held at the Gyeryongdae runway from October 2 to 6.

Originally, the Army Association and Defense Expo co-hosted and organized the ground weapons defense exhibition under the name DX KOREA every other year at KINTEX in Ilsan since 2012. However, after the 2022 exhibition, conflicts arose between the two parties, leading to a split.

Companies Rush to Secure Sponsorship Funds Amid ‘K-Defense’ Boom

The government has also pointed out the inefficiency of the rampant defense exhibitions. When the military branches were hosting numerous defense exhibitions, the Prime Minister’s Office instructed the military to integrate the Ground Forces Festival, held by the Army in even years, and the ‘Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition (Seoul ADEX),’ held by the Air Force in odd years. This was because each branch’s exhibitions were small in scale and had low participation from overseas defense companies. However, this year, the number of defense exhibitions increased, resulting in the ground exhibitions being held as DX KOREA and KADEX 2024.

Veterans’ Organizations Join In: ‘Everyone Wants a Piece of K-Defense’

Nevertheless, the defense industry is baffled as to why various defense exhibitions are forcibly held every year. ‘DX Korea’ suffered international embarrassment in 2020. At that time, a live-fire exercise of the Hyungung missile was conducted in front of invited foreign guests at DX Korea. However, during the anti-tank weapon firing training, one Hyungung missile missed the target and exploded in a rice field 1.5 km away from the training ground. DX Korea shifted responsibility by claiming it was an “Army event.” Meanwhile, the Army explained that the training was already planned regardless of the foreign guests’ attendance. Ultimately, foreign dignitaries were present at the accident site, but the host who invited them was effectively absent.

Quick to Shift Blame Despite Accidents During Events

The number of COVID-19 patients increased at the event venue. Three high-ranking military officials from Pakistan, Kazakhstan, and Nigeria, who entered the country to attend DX Korea, tested positive for COVID-19 upon arrival. As a result, only representatives from 12 countries, including the UAE (United Arab Emirates), France, and Indonesia, excluding the countries with confirmed cases, attended. Considering that 28 countries participated in the biennial DX Korea in 2018, this was about half the number. Two airborne troops and one Army non-commissioned officer dispatched by the Army tested positive for COVID-19. One additional non-commissioned officer in the unit also tested positive due to contact with the infected NCO. It was confirmed that they demonstrated drones at the exhibition. At that time, DX Korea stated that the incident occurred outside the exhibition hall and was “unrelated.”

A defense industry official said, “Although military and defense government agency personnel claim to sacrifice for ‘K-Defense,’ they have turned the exhibitions into money-making ventures together with exhibition companies. There are more than 80 domestic academic conferences, seminars, and exhibitions annually, and using that budget to participate in overseas exhibitions would better serve the national interest.”