Nam Hyun-woo has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2013, mostly covering business and politics. He currently belongs to the Business Desk where he covers topics such as emerging tech, AI, ICT and Korea's chaebol community. Prior to joining the team, he was the paper's correspondent for the presidential office of Korea during the Yoon Suk Yeol and Moon Jae-in administrations.
Korea’s top defense players unite in Busan
A wide array of advanced maritime weapon systems is showcased at the 2025 International Maritime Defense Industry Exhibition at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center, Wednesday. (Yonhap)
By Nam Hyun-woo
MADEX 2025 will kick off Wednesday
A biennial international maritime defense exhibition is returning to Busan, with all major local defense companies set to showcase their latest technologies.
The four-day International Maritime Defense Industry Exhibition (MADEX), running from Wednesday to Saturday at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center, comes at a time when Korea is expanding its presence in the global arms market following a series of high-profile defense export deals.
This year’s edition carries extra weight as Hyundai Rotem joins for the first time, completing the “big 5” lineup alongside Hanwha Aerospace, Hanwha Systems, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) and LIG Nex1.
The nation’s top two shipbuilders — HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and Hanwha Ocean — will also be present. Both companies have recently attracted significant interest from the U.S. government for potential bilateral cooperation to enhance American naval capabilities.
According to the organization committee, more than 200 defense companies from 14 countries will flock to the southeastern port city.
Hanwha Aerospace and Hanwha Systems will jointly operate a booth with Hanwha Ocean, which plans to display models of its latest ships, including the next-generation destroyer (KDDX) and smart destroyers.
Hanwha Aerospace will unveil a lithium battery-based energy storage system (ESS) for submarines that extends submerged operation time to more than triple that of conventional lead-acid batteries. Hanwha Systems will present its autonomous navigation technology, as featured in the Navy's Sea Ghost unmanned surface vessel development project.
Currently in intense competition with Hanwha Ocean over the KDDX project, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries will set up separate booths for domestic and international audiences. The domestic exhibition will feature surface vessels and submarines in ROK Navy service alongside the KDDX. The international section will showcase export models such as offshore patrol vessels and newly developed unmanned surface vessels.
LIG Nex1 will unveil its unmanned maritime platform. The company secured a contract last December to develop a reconnaissance unmanned surface vessel as part of the Navy’s Sea Ghost project, aimed at enhancing surveillance at forward bases. A model of the vessel under development is expected to be on display.
KAI will present its Marine Attack Helicopter (MAH), a variant of the domestically developed Surion, designed for amphibious operations by the Marine Corps. The MAH successfully completed its maiden flight earlier this year. Also on display will be KAI’s Mine Countermeasure Helicopter, under development since 2022, which is expected to begin test flights as early as July. The helicopter is designed to detect, identify and neutralize naval mines.
Making its debut at MADEX, Hyundai Rotem will spotlight its manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) technologies and amphibious mission systems that integrate land and sea operations.
MUM-T enables coordination between manned units and unmanned systems, such as drones.
Key exhibits include the HR-SHERPA, a next-generation multipurpose unmanned ground vehicle with modular payloads, and the K2EX, an export variant of the K2 battle tank and a prototype of the company’s next-generation tank currently under development.