Won Jong-dae (right), director of the military force policy bureau at South Korea’s Defense Ministry, and Oliver Harry, director of UK defense and security exports, pose for a photo after a defense cooperation meeting at the ministry's headquarters in Yongsan-gu, central Seoul, Monday. (Ministry of National Defense)
Won Jong-dae (right), director of the military force policy bureau at South Korea’s Defense Ministry, and Oliver Harry, director of UK defense and security exports, pose for a photo after a defense cooperation meeting at the ministry's headquarters in Yongsan-gu, central Seoul, Monday. (Ministry of National Defense)

South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense hosted a defense cooperation meeting with the United Kingdom’s defense export agency, in line with the countries' joint efforts to develop opportunities in defense exports to a third country.

According to the ministry on Tuesday, Lee Young-bin, director of the ministry’s planning and coordination office, met with Oliver Harry, the director of UK defense and security exports under the UK’s Department for Business and Trade who is tasked with supporting British arms companies in exporting their products.

While the specific agenda of the meeting was not disclosed due to confidentiality, an official from the ministry said that the partnership with the UK -- widely recognized as a global leader in defense exports -- would give South Korea a stronger foothold on the global defense stage.

Won Jong-dae, director of the ministry’s military force policy bureau, also met Harry in a separate meeting Monday to enhance mutual understanding by sharing each country’s regulations and export policies in the defense industry, and identifying opportunities for collaboration in defense exports and development, according to Seoul.

This was the first bilateral meeting of high-ranking defense ministry officials since the two countries signed a joint defense export memorandum of understanding in September 2023 -- part of the Downing Street Accord that President Yoon Suk Yeol signed with former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to identify priority markets for defense industry cooperation.

This collaboration is part of South Korea’s broader push to expand its defense export portfolio, with the country targeting $20 billion in defense exports by the end of 2025.

One key example is the K-9 self-propelled artillery, a flagship defense export vehicle, which is nearing a final contract with Vietnam.

According to sources on Tuesday, South Korea and Vietnam are in the final stages of negotiations for a contract involving approximately 25 to 30 K-9 units. Each unit is priced at between 14 billion and 20 billion won ($9.73 million to $13.9 million).

Once the deal is finalized, Vietnam will become the first communist country to import Korean-made military vehicles -- a development South Korea expects to open up more opportunities for defense exports to other communist nations.

In recent years, Korea's defense exports have experienced significant growth, more than doubling from $3 billion in 2020 to $7.25 billion in 2021. The figure surged further to $17.3 billion in 2022.

Currently, Seok Jong-gun, minister of Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration, is visiting Saudi Arabia to discuss defense industry partnerships and is set to visit Norway next.