Lee attends defense industry exhibition on the 20th
"Building independent capabilities through massive budget investment"
Emphasizes self-reliant national defense at subsequent forum
"We must instill the belief that we can do it ourselves"
Pledges to lower entry barriers for SMEs and startups
"Anyone with capability should have opportunities; monopolies are undesirable"
President Lee Jae-myung is speaking at the Defense Industry Development Forum held on the 20th at Kintex in Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do. Photo by Yonhap News
President Lee Jaemyung attended the defense industry exhibition on the 20th and announced plans to build independent capabilities through a massive budget investment. At the forum that followed the opening ceremony, he remarked, "It is hard to understand that there are citizens who believe we must rely on others for our national defense," adding, "We must instill the belief that we can do it ourselves." This statement is interpreted as an intention to leverage the defense industry to strengthen South Korea's military power and achieve self-reliant national defense.
At the opening ceremony of 'Seoul ADEX 2025' held at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, President Lee stated, "By 2030, we will invest an unprecedented, massive budget in defense research and development (R&D) and aerospace R&D to secure core technologies and weapon systems for the future of national defense, and to build capabilities for independent space development."
President Lee further emphasized, "In particular, we will concentrate investments in the development of technologies, components, and materials-such as special semiconductors for the defense sector-that must be secured independently, to firmly establish sovereignty over defense technologies."
Lee: "We must instill the belief that we can handle national defense on our own"
President Lee Jae-myung is clapping with attendees at the opening ceremony of Seoul ADEX 2025 held on the 20th at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. Photo by Yonhap News
ADEX is a biennial international aerospace and defense industry exhibition, and this year, more than 600 companies from 35 countries are showcasing related technologies and equipment. The event was attended by over 140 people, including foreign defense industry delegations, representatives from the industry, and government-funded research institutes. Minister of National Defense Ahn Kyubaek, National Security Office Director Wi Sunglak, Chief Secretary for Economic Growth Ha Junkyung, and Chief Secretary for AI Future Planning Ha Jungwoo, along with other government and presidential office officials, were also present.
After touring the exhibition following the opening ceremony, President Lee attended a forum on the development of the defense industry, where he made his commitment to self-reliant national defense clear. During his opening remarks, he pointed out, "Even in the current situation, it is hard to understand that there are citizens who still believe we cannot achieve self-reliant national defense and must rely on others for our defense."
President Lee continued, "We must enable people to think, 'We must handle our national defense ourselves,' 'We can do it,' and 'Even now, with just a bit of improvement, we can achieve more than enough.' While various measures are needed, the core foundation is, after all, the development of the defense industry."
He also added, "When we try to export abroad, people ask if we use these weapons in our own country. We must be able to say, 'Yes, we use them well.' That is why localization is important, and I believe it is crucial for South Korea's defense to actually deploy domestically produced weapon systems."
Lee: "Anyone with capability should have opportunities in defense; monopolies are undesirable"
President Lee Jae-myung is saluting the national flag at the Defense Industry Development Forum held on the 20th at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. Photo by Yonhap News Agency
President Lee also pledged to lower entry barriers in the defense sector. In his opening address, he said, "We will create an ecosystem where companies can grow together," and, "We will lower entry barriers so that small and medium-sized enterprises and startups with excellent technologies can actively participate in the defense and aerospace sectors." President Lee's vision is to provide anyone with the capability and technology the opportunity to directly participate in South Korea's defense industry.
At the forum, President Lee stressed, "It would be problematic if the defense sector became monopolized," and urged, "We must build a robust ecosystem." He added, "Whether it is a startup or a small or medium-sized enterprise, if they have the technology, capability, and determination, they should be able to compete equally," and, "From the perspective of fairness, I believe we need to nurture many new entrants."
President Lee stated, "The reason our country was able to transition from using surplus foreign weapons to becoming one of the world's top five defense powers and achieving $10 billion in defense exports is that every administration has fostered the defense and aerospace industries." He pledged, "Our administration will build on this solid foundation and, through bold investments and support, elevate South Korea to become one of the global top four powers in defense and aerospace."
However, President Lee also stressed the need for cooperation between domestic defense companies and the international community in this process. He explained, "We are well aware that this great dream cannot be achieved by our efforts alone. The defense and aerospace industries have clear limitations if they rely solely on domestic demand, and require large-scale capital and technological capabilities. Therefore, solidarity and cooperation with the world are not a choice, but a necessity."
He continued, "To secure the competitiveness of K-Defense in the global market, we must go beyond simply exporting excellent products and present a new brand value as a security cooperation partner. South Korea will become a reliable partner that not only provides the world's best weapon systems to partner countries, but also shares technology and experience in building industrial infrastructure, forging strong alliances based on trust."
Lee: "Our defense technology is already world-class; fast-track system to be introduced"
Kang Hoonshik, Chief Presidential Secretary, and Kwak Taeshin, Defense Secretary of the Presidential Office, along with the Special Envoy for Strategic Economic Cooperation, departed for Frankfurt, Germany, through Terminal 1 of Incheon International Airport on the 19th. Photo by Yonhap News Agency
Regarding the national policy goal of becoming one of the 'world's top four defense powers,' President Lee stated, "It reflects the government's strong commitment to foster the defense industry, which has been born and grown with the support of the people, into a leading manufacturing sector that citizens can trust and rely on," and, "Becoming one of the top four defense powers is by no means an impossible dream. The technological capabilities and development speed of the private sector have already reached a world-class level."
He promised, "We will drastically improve policies and systems so that innovative technologies can be swiftly introduced to the industrial field," and, "We will significantly expand opportunities for the private sector to propose their technologies and equipment to the military, and introduce a defense industry fast-track system to ensure rapid application in the armed forces."
Meanwhile, on the 19th, President Lee dispatched Kang Hoonshik, Chief Presidential Secretary, as a 'Special Envoy for Strategic Economic Cooperation' to European countries targeted for defense industry cooperation. Chief Secretary Kang will visit Germany and Poland, where a total of $56.2 billion (about 79 trillion won) in defense exports are underway, to deliver a personal letter from President Lee and strengthen cooperative ties.
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