Poland to produce South Korean military hardware: defence minister
Warsaw is set to deepen military cooperation with Seoul by manufacturing South Korean weapons in domestic factories, the Polish defence minister has said.
Poland’s Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak (right) and South Korea’s Lee Jong-sup (left) hold a joint news conference after talks in Warsaw on Thursday, August 31, 2023.X/Polish Ministry of Defence
Mariusz Błaszczak made the declaration in Warsaw on Thursday, Polish state news agency reported.
He was speaking at a joint press conference with his South Korean counterpart Lee Jong-sup after their talks in the Polish capital earlier in the day.
The two discussed bilateral military relations, steps to modernise the Polish army and further arms cooperation between Poland and South Korea, according to officials.
Błaszczak said that Poland and South Korea had already “achieved much” thanks to bilateral cooperation, “when it comes to security and ensuring peace by strengthening the Polish army and pursuing the policy of deterrence.”
He noted that Poland’s recent arms purchases from South Korea, such as the K2 tanks, K9 gun howitzers and FA-50 light combat aircraft, were shown to the public during a military parade on Poland’s Armed Forces Day in mid-August.
The FA-50s also took part in the prestigious Radom Air Show last weekend, Błaszczak said.
The Polish defence minister announced: “We are preparing the second phase of our cooperation, namely the production of this equipment in Poland.”
Błaszczak also said that the Polish army’s South Korea-provided weapons would be showcased at an exercise in the northern town of Orzysz on September 17.
“These manoeuvres will demonstrate the effectiveness of South Korean equipment operated by Polish crews,” he added.
The defence minister noted that the exercise would feature „the newly arrived” K239 Chunmoo artillery rocket launchers, which can strike targets up to 300 kilometres away, the PAP news agency reported.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, gov.pl
