Ahn Gyu-baek: "Export Support and Military Diplomacy Needed to Become a Top Four Defense Industry Power"

On January 14, Minister of National Defense Ahn Gyu-baek stated, "As we are striving to become one of the world's top four defense industry powers, it is now the time to employ various means such as export support and military diplomacy to achieve our goals."

During a work report by affiliated agencies and public institutions under the Ministry of National Defense, Minister Ahn addressed the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, saying, "Just as the history of Korea's self-reliant national defense has led and accompanied the independence of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, I urge the agency to continue supporting the history of self-reliant defense and to lay the foundation for today's Korean defense industry."

Yonhap News Agency

Minister Ahn continued, "The reason our defense industry is currently thriving and why we have been able to pursue the goal of becoming one of the top four global defense powers is because our weapons are trusted and used by the Republic of Korea Armed Forces, a world-class military. I would like to take this opportunity to express my deepest respect for the efforts of our military, which made this possible, and for the dedication of those in the defense industry who have laid the cornerstone of self-reliant defense."

He added, "As I have repeatedly emphasized, the foremost virtue of a nation is security, and the foundation of the defense industry lies in this. Only when we produce weapon systems that our military trusts and, based on that recognition, expand globally, can we truly stand as a leading nation in the defense industry."

Minister Ahn also addressed the Military Manpower Administration, saying, "With the onset of a demographic cliff, the importance of conscription administration, which provides human resources to our military, is growing. We must change the paradigm of conscription administration. We need to move beyond simply 'selecting and sending' to 'discovering and nurturing' talent, and by advancing various discussions on the conscription system, we must strengthen the human foundation that supports our military."

Minister Ahn further emphasized, "In particular, the Military Manpower Administration must always keep in mind that it represents the 'first impression' of our national defense to the younger generation. I hope that the principle of fairness will be firmly established throughout the entire conscription administration, so that the first step in earning public trust is properly taken."