President Duda Praises Korean Weapons at NATO
"Other European countries take years for delivery"
"Need to build defense potential... Emphasizes self-reliance"
Polish President Andrzej Duda publicly praised Korean-made weapons on the international stage. Yonhap News reported, "On the 6th (local time) at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, during a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, President Duda mentioned that Poland has made large-scale purchases of American and Korean weapons since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine."
Polish President Andrzej Duda (left) and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte attended a press conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on the 6th (local time). Photo by Reuters Yonhap News
At the event, he stated, "Why did we buy Korean-made weapons? The reason is simple. We believed that our Korean partners could supply incredible state-of-the-art weapons within a few months." He then specifically named Korea's K2 main battle tanks, K9 self-propelled howitzers, and the multiple rocket launcher Cheonmu that Poland purchased, saying, "The delivery time after ordering is one year. Other (European) partners said it takes several years for delivery."
He added, "Everyone, this means we need to rebuild our (European defense industry's) potential," emphasizing, "This is a very important task not only for Poland but for NATO as a whole."
South Korea signed its largest-ever comprehensive arms export contract to Poland in 2022. Notably, Poland's defense spending was 4.12% of its gross domestic product (GDP) as of last year, the highest among NATO member countries in terms of GDP ratio. This year, defense spending is expected to reach about 4.7% of GDP.
NATO agreed in 2006 to set defense spending at around 2% of GDP, but so far only 30% of member countries have met this target. In response, former U.S. President Donald Trump urged European member states to increase their defense budgets. Amid the Ukraine war, calls for self-reliance are gaining momentum in Europe, and the European Union (EU) is promoting a plan to temporarily suspend fiscal rules and support loans of 150 billion euros (approximately 230 trillion won) backed by the EU budget to encourage member states to increase defense spending.
The EU plans to specify "European conditions" for the use of loan funds, including for EU member states and Ukraine. However, if member states individually increase defense spending under the fiscal rule suspension, there will be no separate restrictions on how the money is used, leading to expectations that this will create opportunities for the expansion of Korean defense industry exports to Europe.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
