Latest news with #SeokJong-gun
The Star
13-06-2025
- Business
- The Star
South Korea agrees to cut Indonesia share in fighter jet project
JAKARTA/SEOUL (Bloomberg): Indonesian and South Korean officials have signed a revised deal that significantly lowers Jakarta's financial commitment to the joint KF-21 fighter jet program, a move aimed at reviving long-stalled progress on the multibillion-dollar project. South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration said Friday that the new deal reflects a resolution made last year to revise Indonesia's share of the development costs. In August, DAPA had said Indonesia would contribute 600 billion won to the project, equivalent to about US$438.4 million, marking a drop from 1.6 trillion won originally pledged. DAPA said Indonesia's defense ministry had begun administrative procedures to fulfill the revised payment, a step it said it expects will reinvigorate defense ties between the countries. It added that both sides also agreed to expand cooperation beyond fighter jets to include ground and maritime systems. Indonesia's defense ministry declined to immediately comment. The new deal comes years after defense officials from Southeast Asia's largest economy agreed to contribute roughly 20% of the more than 8 trillion won project as it sought to upgrade aging military fleets. The KF-21 Boramae, developed by Korea Aerospace Industries, is intended to replace South Korea's fleet of F-4 and F-5 fighter jets. Indonesia is working on a localized variant known as IF-X, with state-owned Dirgantara Indonesia involved in assembly, maintenance, and production planning. Progress for the KF-21 program, aimed at producing a next-generation supersonic aircraft, was marred by funding disputes and other problems. Indonesia has been pursuing upgrades of its fleet of fighter jets on several fronts, including in an active contract with France's Dassault Aviation SA for 42 Rafale jets, signed in 2022 with an estimated value of $8.1 billion. Last week, Indonesian defense officials said they were in the early stages of evaluating an offer for China's J-10 fighters. This week, Turkey's president announced a deal to sell Jakarta 48 of its KAAN fighter jets currently under development. DAPA Director Seok Jong-gun, among the South Korean officials in Indonesia this week, said his visit marked a return to normal for defense ties between Seoul and Jakarta, moving on from what he described as a period of strain due to technical issues. -- ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
Korea Herald
24-04-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
Arms agency chief meets senior EU, NATO officials to discuss defense cooperation
The head of South Korea's arms procurement agency held talks with high-level European Union and North Atlantic Treaty Organization officials this week to discuss ways to expand defense industry cooperation, his office said Thursday. Defense Acquisition Program Administration Minister Seok Jong-gun met European Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius in Brussels on Wednesday, as Seoul seeks to strengthen arms industry ties with Europe amid the continent's rearmament push. During the talks, Kubilius shared Europe's rearmament plans, while Seok briefed him on South Korea's arms industry capabilities and proposed joint research and development for advanced technologies, according to DAPA. It marked the first time that a DAPA minister has held talks with a high-ranking EU official, DAPA said. Seok also met NATO Deputy Secretary General Radmila Shekerinska the same day and proposed forming a joint consultative body on arms industry cooperation and holding its inaugural meeting this year. Seok emphasized the need for an integrated deterrence strategy between the Indo-Pacific and the North Atlantic, citing Russia's war on Ukraine that has led to calls for interoperability between the weapons systems of South Korea and NATO, it said. Meanwhile, Shekerinska thanked South Korea for its support for Ukraine and shared the need for cooperation on joint research and development of advanced weapons systems, according to DAPA. The talks took place after the EU last month unveiled a new white paper titled, "Readiness 2030," outlining plans to enhance the continent's defense capabilities over the next five years. (Yonhap)
Korea Herald
28-03-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
Arms agency chief discuss K9, cooperation in Norway
The head of the state arms procurement agency held talks with key defense officials in Norway earlier this week to discuss arms industry cooperation and the operation of the South Korean K9 self-propelled howitzer, officials said Friday. Seok Jong-gun, minister of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, met Norway's State Secretary of Defence Andreas Flam on Wednesday, according to DAPA. In the meeting, they discussed Norway's operation of self-propelled howitzers, as well as potential upgrades and additional supplies of the K9 weapons system for the Scandinavian nation. Seok also introduced the Chunmoo multiple launch rocket system as a weapons system that could be supplied at an optimal period for Norway's bid to acquire long-range precision strike weapons systems, DAPA said. In his meeting with Oyvind Kvalvik, deputy director general at the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency, Seok discussed ways to strengthen arms cooperation, such as research and development, in areas that included space, missile and electronics warfare. Norway is among the nine countries outside of South Korea that have acquired the K9, along with Australia, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, India, Poland, Romania and Turkey. (Yonhap)
Korea Herald
24-03-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
S. Korea, Indonesia reaffirm cooperation for joint fighter jet project
South Korean and Indonesian defense officials have reaffirmed their cooperation for a joint project to develop the KF-21 fighter jet, the South's arms procurement agency said Monday. Seok Jong-gun, minister of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, and Donny Ermawan Taufanto, Indonesia's deputy minister of defense, discussed the joint development project, as well as other arms cooperation agenda items, during their meeting in Jakarta on Friday, DAPA said. South Korea's defense authorities approved a plan last year to reduce Indonesia's contribution to the project to build the advanced supersonic fighter by 2026 to 600 billion won ($409 million) from the original amount of 1.6 trillion won, following Jakarta's repeated payment delays. Indonesia initially agreed to pay about 20 percent of the 8.1 trillion-won program launched in 2015 in return for technology transfers and one prototype model, among other conditions. The project had also been hampered by technology leak allegations involving a team of Indonesian engineers dispatched to South Korea. "As the first high-level meeting that took place after the probe into Indonesian engineers, the talks served as an occasion for normalizing bilateral arms cooperation that had slightly been strained," Seok said, vowing to use it as "momentum" to expand cooperation with the Southeast Asian nation. Taufanto was quoted as highlighting the competitiveness of South Korean arms equipment, such as the KT-1 and T-50 aircraft, and stressed the country is "faithfully" carrying out contracts and maintaining cooperative ties in various areas, according to DAPA. (Yonhap)
Korea Herald
21-03-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
Korea's arms procurement chief to visit Europe to boost defense exports
Seok Jong-gun, minister of South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration, will visit several European countries starting next week to promote South Korean defense exports amid rising demand for armament in the region. According to the arms procurement agency on Friday, Seok will travel to Norway, Romania and Sweden from Tuesday through March 31. In Norway, which has already imported K9 self-propelled howitzers from Hanwha Aerospace, Seok will hold high-level talks to discuss potential additional exports of the K9, as well as Cheonmu, a multiple rocket launcher system also produced by Hanwha Aerospace. In Romania, discussions will center on securing deals for the Redback infantry fighting vehicle from Hanwha Defense and the K2 main battle tank from another South Korean defense manufacturer, Hyundai Rotem. In Sweden, the focus will be on strengthening bilateral defense cooperation over the long term, particularly in areas of technology collaboration. Seok's trip comes amid growing momentum in Europe to bolster self-reliant defense capabilities following the inauguration of a second Trump administration in the United States. Earlier on Tuesday, the European Commission unveiled a white paper for the "ReArm Europe Plan — Readiness 2030," an ambitious defense package aimed at mobilizing 800 billion euros ($866.8 billion) by 2030 to reinforce military readiness across member states. The scheme has signaled a preference for European-made products, yet South Korea sees potential as rising defense budgets across Europe could open the door to increased exports, given the competitive pricing and swift delivery of its defense systems. Among European states, Poland, Romania and Estonia have previously imported K9 howitzers from Hanwha Aerospace, K2 tanks from Hyundai Rotem, and the FA-50 light combat aircraft from Korea Aerospace Industries. 'This trip was scheduled prior to the announcement of the EU's rearmament plan,' an official from DAPA said. 'Through high-level meetings, we aim to strengthen defense ties with European countries and support the export of South Korean weapons systems.' South Korea's Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul also visited Poland in early March in a bid to support South Korea's bid to clinch an additional deal of exporting K-2 thanks to the country with the DAPA delegation.
