Defense chief urges efforts to back Korea's goal of No. 4 arms exporter

Defense Minister Ahn Kyu-baek answers a question of a lawmaker during a plenary session of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee at the National Assembly in Seoul, Jan. 12. Yonhap

Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back on Wednesday called for efforts to boost arms exports as Korea seeks to become the world's fourth-largest defense exporter by 2030.

"We are now racing to become (one of) the world's top four countries in the arms industry," Ahn said in a policy briefing session, also attended by the chiefs of the state arms procurement agency and senior military officials.

"We are at a stage that requires an array of means to accomplish the goal, from export support to military diplomacy," he said.

Ahn's remarks came as Korea has been seeking to diversify export designations and the type of arms exports amid a sharp rise in exports of key weapons systems, such as the K9 self-propelled howitzer and the K2 battle tank.

In Wednesday's session, Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) Minister Lee Yong-cheol reaffirmed Korea's goal to export $20 billion worth of arms exports by 2030 to account for 6 percent of the global market.

Lee also confirmed that Korea saw its arms exports exceed $15 billion last year, snapping a second straight yearly decline.

"(Korea) achieved (arms) exports of over $15 billion in 2025, marking a rebound in exports, in a move improving the profitability of companies and strengthening their foothold for growth."

Korea logged a record $17.3 billion worth of arms exports in 2022 in the wake of the war in Ukraine but saw the figure fall to $13 billion and $9.6 billion in 2023 and 2024, respectively.