By Kim Hyo-jin
South Korean-made rifles are being traded on the black markets of Iraq and Syria, igniting concerns that they could fall into the hands of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group.
A twitter post uploaded Tuesday showed photos of a K-2C assault rifle, claiming that it is available on the Iraqi black market.
"A Korean K-2C rifle ended up on the black market. The 16th & 17th Div. received some brand-new K-2s in 2015," wrote twitter account @green_lemon, which is apparently run by a military analyst focusing on Iraq and Syria.
Many military supplies imported by the Iraqi army have been looted by militants, sources said.
They added it was also not difficult to buy Korean rifles on the black market in Syria, indicating that IS has access to the assault rifles through the black markets.
Last year, the terrorist group posted a photo of a K-2 to promote their activities through social networking services. An IS member was shooting the South Korean rifle on a battlefield in northern Iraq.
The K-2C is an upgraded version of the K-2, the main assault rifle used by the South Korean Army.
The rifle was developed by the private military supplier S&T Motiv, formerly Daewoo Precision Industries, and has been exported to countries in Africa, South America, and the Middle East including Iraq since 2012.
The rifle is known to be popular among IS members for its light weight, reliability and high accuracy.
"Due to its short barrel, it seems to be popular with the IS group that engages in street battles" said Yang Wook, a fellow of the Korea Defense and Security Forum (KODEF).
Last year, the Ministry of National Defense officially acknowledged that IS had seized the K2C assault rifle, saying the terrorist group looted those exported to Iraq.
Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) failed to confirm if the rifle was the K-2C this time. "It is hard to tell if it is a K-2C by looking at the photo," a DAPA official said.
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| A K-2C assault rifle photo posted on twitter account @green—lemon. |
A twitter post uploaded Tuesday showed photos of a K-2C assault rifle, claiming that it is available on the Iraqi black market.
"A Korean K-2C rifle ended up on the black market. The 16th & 17th Div. received some brand-new K-2s in 2015," wrote twitter account @green_lemon, which is apparently run by a military analyst focusing on Iraq and Syria.
Many military supplies imported by the Iraqi army have been looted by militants, sources said.
They added it was also not difficult to buy Korean rifles on the black market in Syria, indicating that IS has access to the assault rifles through the black markets.
Last year, the terrorist group posted a photo of a K-2 to promote their activities through social networking services. An IS member was shooting the South Korean rifle on a battlefield in northern Iraq.
The K-2C is an upgraded version of the K-2, the main assault rifle used by the South Korean Army.
The rifle was developed by the private military supplier S&T Motiv, formerly Daewoo Precision Industries, and has been exported to countries in Africa, South America, and the Middle East including Iraq since 2012.
The rifle is known to be popular among IS members for its light weight, reliability and high accuracy.
"Due to its short barrel, it seems to be popular with the IS group that engages in street battles" said Yang Wook, a fellow of the Korea Defense and Security Forum (KODEF).
Last year, the Ministry of National Defense officially acknowledged that IS had seized the K2C assault rifle, saying the terrorist group looted those exported to Iraq.
Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) failed to confirm if the rifle was the K-2C this time. "It is hard to tell if it is a K-2C by looking at the photo," a DAPA official said.
