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DAPA chief discusses arms exports in UAE, Egypt

Published: 24 Feb. 2025, 15:45

Defense Acquisition Program Administration Minister Seok Jong-gun, left, holds talks with United Arab Emirates Minister of State for Defense Affairs Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Mazrouei on Feb. 17. [DAPA]

The chief of the state arms procurement agency discussed cooperation with defense and military officials during visits to the United Arab Emirates and Egypt as part of Seoul's bid to boost arms exports, officials said Monday.

Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) Minister Seok Jong-gun held the talks as part of a two-nation trip last week, which included a visit to the IDEX 2025 defense exhibition in Abu Dhabi, according to the officials.

In the UAE, Seok met with Minister of State for Defense Affairs Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Mazrouei, chief of staff Issa Al Mazrouei and other senior defense officials to discuss Korean firms' potential participation in Abu Dhabi's arms procurement projects.

Seok also held talks with key officials from Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Romania and Estonia at the International Defence Exhibition and Conference and signed a memorandum of understanding with Saudi Arabia on a mutual government quality guarantee program for their exported arms products.

The DAPA chief then visited Egypt, accompanied by officials from Korea Aerospace Industries and Hanwha Aerospace, to promote Korean arms products, such as the FA-50 fighter jet and K9 self-propelled howitzer.

In a meeting with Egyptian Air Marshal Mahmoud Fouad Abdel-Gawad, Seok vowed to provide comprehensive support should the Egyptian Air Force decide to acquire the FA-50 fighters, according to DAPA.

Korea aims to carve out a 5 percent share of the global arms export market by 2027 to become the world's fourth-largest defense exporter.