Korea is one of most important strategic partners in Asia: Airbus top executive

Airbus Chief Representative Korea Lee Hee-hwan speaks during a press conference in Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of Airbus Korea

Calling Korea one of the most strategic partners in Asia, the head of Airbus Korea said Thursday that Airbus will continue contributing to the country’s industrial growth in aerospace and defense.

“In 2024, Airbus carried out multiple projects worth hundreds of billions of won with Korea’s leading aviation and defense players, such as Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), Korean Air and LIG Nex1, and we will further expand these partnerships as Korea’s strategic importance continues to rise,” Airbus Chief Representative Korea Lee Hee-hwan said during a press conference in Seoul.

The event took place ahead of the upcoming Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition (ADEX) 2025, scheduled to run for five days starting Monday. Airbus plans to showcase its latest aircraft and a range of advanced aviation technologies at the event.

Korea currently operates more than 160 Airbus commercial airplanes, 60 helicopters and 30 military transport aircraft. According to the Airbus executive, the country has forged multilateral partnerships with Airbus in areas such as the joint development of core aircraft parts and state-of-the-art aviation technologies.

The aircraft maker also pledged to deepen its strategic role in supporting Korea’s efforts to elevate its global standing in aviation.

“We will continue strengthening ties with local small and medium-sized enterprises to reinforce the aircraft manufacturing supply chain and facilitate the transfer of cutting-edge technologies,” Lee said. “In doing so, we aim to contribute to job creation as well.”

According to Airbus, the company generates about 850 billion won ($600 million) in economic value in Korea each year on average through the purchase of aircraft components from Korean suppliers. It also directly employs around 70 people in Korea and around 6,000 skilled workers through subcontractors.

Airbus has maintained a particularly close partnership with Korean Air for more than five decades, dating back to 1974, when it delivered its first passenger jet to the airline.

In the defense sector, Airbus collaborated with KAI on the joint development of Korea’s first KUH-1 Surion helicopter.

Lee also flatly denied rumors that the company would scrap its earlier plan to establish an R&D center in Korea.

“We are still in the preparatory stage for the new R&D facility,” Lee said. “Airbus views Korea as a very important R&D partner, given the country’s advanced industrial ecosystem and talented workforce. We are giving more concrete shape to the plan and will share details once the process is complete.”