Polish president to arrive in Seoul Aug. 9
President Yoon Suk Yeol and Polish President Andrzej Duda shake hands after their summit at the Presidential Palace in Warsaw, July 13 (local time). Korea Times photo by Seo Jae-hoon
By Lee Hyo-jin
Polish President Andrzej Duda is set to arrive in Korea on Aug. 9 for a four-day visit to attend the World Scout Jamboree currently taking place in the nation, according to diplomatic sources, Wednesday.
The Polish president's trip to Korea, which is the first of its kind in five years, is being closely watched by local defense companies as the European country has emerged as a major buyer of Korean weapons systems.
A source familiar with the matter told The Korea Times that Duda will arrive in Seoul on Aug. 9 and travel to the southeastern port city of Busan the next day.
From Aug. 11 to 12, the Polish president will visit the southwestern city of Gwangju and Saemangeum in Buan, North Jeolla Province, to attend the 25th World Scout Jamboree. The major event gathering over 43,000 Scouts from around the world kicked off on Tuesday and will run through Aug. 12.
Duda's attendance at the Jamboree comes as the northern Polish city of Gdansk is set to host the next quadrennial event in 2027.
It remains unclear if Duda will meet President Yoon Suk Yeol during his stay, but the Polish president will reportedly visit local defense companies and hold meetings with officials in the industry.
During a bilateral summit with Yoon held in Warsaw in July, Duda said Poland is seeking cooperation with Korean companies to produce military equipment such as tanks at Polish plants.
The two leaders also vowed to strengthen cooperation to ensure mutually beneficial partnerships in the defense sector. In 2022, Korea signed a deal with Poland to export about 20 trillion won ($15.4 billion) worth of K2 battle tanks, K-9 self-propelled howitzers and FA-50 fighters.
As a result, Duda's upcoming visit is raising hopes of another round of lucrative weapons deals with Korean arms manufacturers.
Poland has been actively discussing a second arms contract with Korea reportedly worth 30 trillion won. The European nation is reported to have requested around 20 trillion won in financial support from Korea for the contract, but is facing challenges due to the limited support capacity of Korean export credit agencies.
Speculation is also growing that Poland is considering purchasing Korean submarines as part of its new-generation submarine acquisition program, called the Orka program.
In July, Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak announced that a preliminary market consultation had begun for the procurement of the submarines. According to Polish news outlet, Defence 24, the proposals from Korea to supply submarines are among those being seriously considered by the Polish authorities.