Korean, Polish foreign ministers discuss defense, get K2 tank deal back on track
Published: 06 Mar. 2025, 17:03
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- SEO JI-EUN
- [email protected]
![Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, left, and Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski pose for a commemorative photo during their meeting in Warsaw, Poland, on March 5. [MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/03/06/fb170204-b7af-4117-ab0a-6c3c6f71525a.jpg)
Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, left, and Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski pose for a commemorative photo during their meeting in Warsaw, Poland, on March 5. [MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS]
Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and his Polish counterpart Radoslaw Sikorski pledged to provide “all necessary support” to ensure the swift implementation of the contract for K2 tanks, which had been temporarily suspended following Korea's botched martial law declaration late last year, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday.
Cho held bilateral talks with Sikorski in Warsaw, Poland, on Wednesday on defense cooperation, the Korean Peninsula situation and the Ukraine war.
Cho's visit to Poland marked the first official trip by a Korean foreign minister to the European country in 18 years.
“The two ministers acknowledged the unprecedented scale of defense collaboration between South Korea and Poland has positioned as a cornerstone of their relations,” The Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press statement.
“They committed to expediting the second-phase implementation contract for the K2 tanks, which remains under negotiation,” it added.
Korea and Poland signed a $44.2 billion framework agreement in 2022, including for the supply of K2 tanks, K9 self-propelled howitzers and FA-50 light attack aircraft.
As part of this deal, Poland agreed to acquire a total of 1,000 K2 tanks.
The first-phase contract, signed the same year, covered 180 tanks worth $3.4 billion. However, the second-phase contract for the remaining 820 tanks, initially expected to be finalized by late 2024, is facing delays.
Cho’s visit to Poland was accompanied by a delegation from Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), highlighting the growing defense cooperation between the two nations.
Cho emphasized that the presence of the DAPA delegation highlighted the “Korean government’s wide-ranging commitment to bolstering defense ties” with Poland.
![Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, fifth from left, takes a commemorative photo with officials at the 23rd Tactical Air Base in Minsk Mazowiecki, near Warsaw, Poland, on March 5. [MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/03/06/5ea8eb47-a2af-4110-b97a-90a0f1c0cae7.jpg)
Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, fifth from left, takes a commemorative photo with officials at the 23rd Tactical Air Base in Minsk Mazowiecki, near Warsaw, Poland, on March 5. [MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS]
Amid accelerating discussions on ending the Ukraine war between Washington and Moscow, Cho and Sikorski also addressed the conflict during their talks.
Cho warned that North Korea “should not receive any form of compensation” in the discussions for war-end talks. Korea and the United States recently reported that North Korea dispatched a second large-scale troop deployment to Russia between January and February, its first deployment in October last year.
The Korean envoy praised Poland for its “active role as a frontline supporter of Ukraine” and reaffirmed Seoul’s commitment to humanitarian and financial aid for Kyiv as well as to contributing to Ukraine’s postwar Reconstruction and long-term stability.
Following the meeting, the two ministers signed a three-year action plan for the implementation of the strategic partnership, outlining steps for developing bilateral relations until 2028.
Since the United States' second Donald Trump administration amid Korea's leadership vacuum, Cho’s diplomatic efforts are focused on Europe.
His visit to Poland follows a Feb. 15 trip to Germany for the Munich Security Conference, his first overseas engagement after Korea’s political turmoil following President Yoon Suk Yeol's botched declaration of martial law and ensuing impeachment hearings.
From March 4 to 8, Cho is touring Poland and France, engaging European counterparts amid growing tensions between the United States and the European Union over tariffs and Ukraine war peace negotiations.
BY SEO JI-EUN [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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