South Korea has completed the deployment of the K-9 self-propelled howitzer, about 20 years after it was first put into force in the country, the arms procurement agency said Friday.

Manufactured by Hanwha Defense, a South Korean defense firm, the 155-millimeter K-9 artillery gun was first deployed on the western border islands of Yeonpyeong and Baengnyeong in 1999.

South Korea plans to continue to improve its capabilities, including its navigation equipment and operating system, and add remote or unmanned control functions, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration.

"We will thoroughly manage the follow-up product improvement projects to make sure the howitzer can protect our land, realize self-defense and contribute to the national economy," an agency official said.

The howitzer has been exported to several countries, including Turkey, Poland, India, Norway and Estonia. Around 1,700 units are now in service around the world, according to the company. (Yonhap)