Minister Shin Kyungbae Attends Signing Ceremony for Second K2 Tank Contract Worth 9 Trillion Won

Largest Single Defense Export in History
Minister Shin: "Solidifying Our Strategic Partnership"

Defense Minister An Kyubaek is taking a commemorative photo with key attendees at the signing ceremony of the 2nd implementation contract for K2 tanks held on the 1st in Gliwice, Poland. (From left: Lee Yongbae, President of Hyundai Rotem; An Kyubaek, Minister of National Defense; Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense of Poland; Artur Kubtel, Head of the Polish Armaments Agency). Photo by Yonhap News

Minister of National Defense Shin Kyungbae attended the signing ceremony for the second implementation contract for K2 tanks on the 1st (local time) in Gliwice, Poland, together with Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense of Poland, according to the Ministry of National Defense.

The second export of K2 tanks to Poland, for which negotiations were finalized earlier this month, amounts to approximately $6.5 billion (about 9 trillion won), making it the largest single defense export in history. Of the 180 tanks to be supplied, 117 will be produced and delivered by Hyundai Rotem, while 63 will be manufactured locally by Polish companies.

The signing ceremony was attended by key figures from both countries, including the two defense ministers, Seok Jonggeon, Commissioner of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, Lee Yongbae, President of Hyundai Rotem, and Artur Kuptel, Head of the Polish Armament Agency. The implementation contract was signed by President Lee Yongbae and Head Artur Kuptel.

In his congratulatory remarks, Minister Shin stated, "Through the signing of the second implementation contract for the K2, we have established a foundation for strengthening our relationship as strategic partners, moving beyond that of a simple supplier and consumer."

He further emphasized, "This will serve as an opportunity for Korea and Poland to deepen their cooperation by sharing values, going beyond security cooperation."

Prior to the signing ceremony, Minister Shin held talks with Minister Kosiniak-Kamysz to discuss ways to strengthen defense and defense industry cooperation between the two countries.

Minister Shin remarked, "Poland is a strategic partner of the Republic of Korea, and I highly appreciate that both countries have continued to maintain cooperative relations in various industrial fields such as defense and nuclear power." In response, Minister Kosiniak-Kamysz stated, "I hope that this meeting will further advance the relationship between our two countries."

Minister Shin also emphasized that Korea will actively support related education and training to ensure that the Polish military can optimally operate Korean weapon systems such as the K2 tank, K9 self-propelled howitzer, and Cheonmu multiple rocket launcher.

He also proposed to actively expand mutually beneficial cooperation in other defense industry sectors that Poland is pursuing, such as the submarine project.