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Korea to sign 2nd export contract with Poland for K2 tanks later this month

Published: 10 Jun. 2025, 11:39 Updated: 10 Jun. 2025, 20:07

A K2 tank developed by Hyundai Rotem [HYUNDAI ROTEM]

A second export contract for 180 K2 tanks produced in Korea is expected to be signed with Poland later this month, according to government sources and defense industry officials.

The signing ceremony for the second contract will reportedly take place in Poland in the latter half of June.

Initially, the deal was expected to be finalized late last year, but it was delayed due to internal issues in Poland and complications related to former President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law attempt on Dec. 3, 2024. These obstacles have now reportedly been resolved.

The contract is valued at approximately $6 billion, making it the largest-ever single defense export deal by value for Korea. Of the 180 K2 tanks included in the deal, 117 will be produced and delivered directly by Hyundai Rotem, while the remaining 63 will be manufactured locally in Poland by state-owned defense company PGZ.

While the number of tanks matches the first export contract signed in 2022, the value of the deal has more than doubled. This is largely due to the inclusion of the upgraded K2PL model, which is more expensive than the base model. The price also reflects terms covering technology transfer, maintenance, repair and operations, as well as additional equipment such as armored recovery vehicles and mobile bridge layers.

This large-scale arms export to Poland originates from a framework agreement signed in July 2022 under the former Yoon administration. In August that year, Korea signed the first phase of the deal, worth $12.4 billion. That contract included 180 K2 tanks, 212 K-9 self-propelled howitzers and 48 FA-50 light attack aircraft.

Since December 2023, individual contracts related to the second phase of the agreement have been signed in stages. Hanwha Aerospace previously finalized a second-phase deal for 152 K-9 howitzers.

The upcoming K2 tank deal is expected to be the first major defense export concluded under the new Lee Jae-myung administration.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY JEONG JAE-HONG [[email protected]]