South Korea is nearing a deal worth approximately $6 billion to supply 180 K2 tanks to Poland, Yonhap News Agency reported on Tuesday.
As per the agreement, South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem, known for its expertise in industrial and defence manufacturing, will produce 117 tanks, while the remaining units will be built locally by Poland’s state-owned Polish Armaments Group, according to Yonhap.
The signing ceremony will take place in late June in Poland, Yonhap said, citing an anonymous industry source.
The two countries in 2022 reached a $13.7 billion arms deal, Seoul’s biggest ever, which included supplies of South Korean K2 tanks, rocket launchers and fighter jets to Poland.
Military-Industrial Juggernaut
South Korea used the deal to lay the groundwork for a military-industrial juggernaut that the two nations’ defence companies hope would feed Europe’s hunger for weapons far into the future.
The K2 tank supply contract, part of the broader deal in 2022, was expected to be finalised by the end of last year but appeared to be delayed, partly due to South Korea’s political crisis sparked by the short-lived declaration of martial law in December, Yonhap added.
Diplomatic Outreach
Meanwhile, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said he was scheduled to have a telephone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday, according to YTN TV.
Lee took office on June 4 after winning the presidency in a snap election called after the ouster of Yoon Suk Yeol over his failed martial law attempt and has since spoken to US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
Lee said his call with Xi was scheduled for 11:30 a.m. (0230 GMT). China is South Korea’s biggest trading partner.
Bolstering Ties With Japan
On Monday, Lee and Ishiba agreed during a telephone call to strengthen bilateral ties, as per a South Korean presidential spokesperson and Japan’s foreign ministry.
The call came after the two leaders said they aimed for their countries to continue coordination on North Korea issues.
Lee, a left-leaning leader, has said pragmatism was key to his diplomacy and he would continue with security cooperation between South Korea, Japan and the United States.
In Person Meeting Likely
Lee told Ishiba that he wanted to deal with geopolitical crises within the framework of three-way cooperation with Tokyo and Washington, Kang Yoo-jung, Lee’s spokesperson, told reporters.
Reaffirming the significance of bilateral ties, the two leaders agreed to meet in person to further develop relations, Kang added.
Ishiba told Lee that he wished to further advance bilateral relations “through mutual efforts based on the foundation built by both governments so far”, according to a statement from Japan’s foreign ministry.
The call lasted for about 25 minutes, the ministry said.
(With inputs from Reuters)
