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Korea, Peru sign framework agreement to export 195 K2 tanks, armored vehicles

Published: 10 Dec. 2025, 05:00 Updated: 10 Dec. 2025, 18:40

SARAH KIM
[email protected]

The Korean Army's K2 main battle tanks cross the Namhan River in Yeoju, Gyeonggi, on Nov. 25, as part of the Hoguk combined drills of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force. [YONHAP]

Korea and Peru signed a framework agreement Tuesday to export 195 ground-based weapons systems, including Hyundai Rotem's K2 main battle tanks, to the Peruvian Armed Forces.

The signing ceremony in Lima was attended by Peruvian President José Jerí and Lee Yong-chul, head of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), Seoul's presidential office said in a statement Wednesday.

Under the general agreement, the Peruvian Armed Forces will acquire 54 K2 Black Panther tanks and 141 K808 White Tiger wheeled armored vehicles in collaboration with Korea's defense industry and Peru's state-owned defense company.

This agreement sets a milestone toward concluding an implementation contract by next year, the presidential office said. If such a deal is finalized, it will enable Korea's K2 tanks to make headway into the South American market for the first time after its European debut through deals with Poland and Turkey.

Some vehicles will be manufactured in Korea and exported, while others will be produced locally in Peru through a collaboration between Hyundai Rotem and Peru's state-run Army Weapons and Ammunition Factory, or FAME SAC. The total export value is estimated at $2 billion (2.937 trillion won).

Hyundai Rotem's K2 tanks, bound for Poland, are positioned at the company's Changwon plant in Changwon, South Gyeongsang. [HYUNDAI ROTEM]

The specific number of units to be produced in Peru is expected to be confirmed in the implementation contract, scheduled for signing next year.

In November last year, Hyundai Rotem signed a comprehensive agreement with the Peruvian government for the export of its K2 tanks and other vehicles. The agreement stipulated that Hyundai Rotem would export K2 tanks produced in Korea to Peru from 2026 to 2028, and that the Korean arms manufacturer and Peruvian defense companies would jointly produce tanks in Peru from 2029 to 2040.

"I hope this will serve as an opportunity to significantly elevate our bilateral defense and defense industry cooperation," President Lee Jae Myung said in a statement on the signing of the framework agreement. "As Peru has chosen K-defense to strengthen its military capabilities and develop its own defense industries, we must create a model for defense industry cooperation that fosters mutual prosperity."

BY SARAH KIM [[email protected]]