Kim Hyun-bin began his journalism career at Arirang TV from 2012 to 2017, specializing in defense, foreign affairs and the economy. In 2018, he joined The Korea Times, covering society and business, and is currently responsible for embassy affairs.
Lee appoints aide as special envoy to boost Korea’s defense exports
Kang Hoon-sik, chief of staff at the presidential office, has been appointed as a special envoy for strategic economic cooperation. Yonhap
By Kim Hyun-bin
President Lee Jae Myung on Friday appointed presidential office chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik as a special envoy to bolster defense industry cooperation, underscoring Seoul’s drive to become one of the world’s top four defense exporters.
According to a presidential spokesperson, Kang will begin his mission next week by visiting several European nations targeted for defense cooperation, where he will deliver a personal letter from the president. The envoy is scheduled to carry out three rounds of visits through the first half of next year to strengthen strategic economic ties.
“The success of today’s large-scale defense programs, which countries around the world are hastily pursuing, hinges not only on defense and security cooperation but also on comprehensive government support across finance, industry and defense startups,” the spokesperson, Kang Yu-jung, said.
She added that the Lee administration is building an integrated “defense export control tower” within the presidential office to coordinate interagency efforts and promote Korea’s ascent into the global top four in defense manufacturing and exports.
“The president appointed Kang as special envoy so he can responsibly engage partner nations on defense exports and discuss broader cooperation in security and the economy,” she said.
The presidential office noted that the total value of ongoing defense procurement projects under discussion with the countries Kang will visit amounts to around $56.2 billion.
While declining to disclose the specific destinations, the spokesperson said they include countries where Korea is competing in large-scale weapons procurement bids expected to reach key decision points soon.
“Supporting defense exports is not a one-time effort but a sustained process that must be tailored to each partner’s characteristics and the stage of every project,” she said. “The government will continue to pursue phased cooperation from working-level talks to top-level engagement.”