Defense Acquisition Chief Meets Peruvian Lawmakers to Discuss Defense Industry Cooperation

The head of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration met with a delegation of Peruvian lawmakers visiting Korea to discuss ways to strengthen defense industry cooperation between the two countries.

According to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration on January 16, Commissioner Lee Yongcheol held a meeting with the Peruvian parliamentary delegation at the agency's Gwacheon headquarters the previous afternoon. The meeting was attended by Assemblyman Victor Flores, President of the Korea-Peru Parliamentary Friendship Association, as well as Assemblywoman Silvia Montesa, a member of both the Budget Committee and the Defense Committee of the Peruvian Congress.

Peru is Korea's largest defense industry export partner in Latin America. In 2024, with the signing of a mid- to long-term strategic partnership between the Peruvian Army and Navy and Korean companies, Korean firms secured preferred negotiation status for up to 15 years. Based on this, the scope of cooperation is expanding to include joint development of tanks, armored vehicles, and submarines.

In particular, in December of last year, Commissioner Lee visited Peru and signed a comprehensive agreement on tanks and armored vehicles, marking the largest-ever defense export deal to Latin America. It was also agreed that an implementation contract would be signed within this year.

During this meeting, Commissioner Lee stated that Korea would help strengthen Peru's ground defense capabilities based on the comprehensive agreement on tanks and armored vehicles signed at last month's Peruvian Army Day event. He also requested support from the Peruvian Congress for the signing of the implementation contract this year. Commissioner Lee said, "Peru is a key partner for K-Defense in Latin America," and emphasized, "Signing the follow-up implementation contract is crucial to maintaining the momentum for local industrialization in Peru."