Korea marks record presence at Latin American arms fair as export push intensifies

Visitors pass through the Korean pavilion during the Feria Internacional del Aire y del Espacio 2026 event at Santiago International Airport in Chile, Tuesday. Courtesy of Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency

Korea unveiled its largest-ever defense exhibition pavilion at the Feria Internacional del Aire y del Espacio, Latin America’s premier aerospace and defense fair, as arms exports reached $15.4 billion last year and officials set a $20 billion target for 2026.

The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, along with the Korea Defense Industry Trade Support Center (KODITS), organized a Korean pavilion featuring 31 companies across ground, naval, air and security sectors at the six-day event, being held April 7 to 12 at Santiago International Airport in the Chilean capital.

The show drew exhibitors from 33 countries and was expected to attract about 120,000 visitors from the defense industry and other sectors.

Korea’s defense exports reached $15.4 billion last year, marking the second-highest annual total on record, trailing only the $17.3 billion peak seen in 2022.

While the 2022 windfall was largely driven by concentrated deals with Poland and the United Arab Emirates — limited to just seven purchasing nations — the sector saw significant diversification in 2025. The export market has since expanded to 16 countries, gaining a critical foothold in Latin American markets, including Peru and Colombia.

Several major Korean defense firms attended independently alongside the national pavilion.

Hanwha Aerospace, Hanwha Ocean and Hanwha Systems each operated standalone booths and displayed a TIGON 6x6 armored vehicle on the show floor.

Kia, Hyundai Corp., Poongsan, Hancom InSpace and SIIS also participated, showcasing tactical vehicles, ammunition, and satellite and space technologies.

Korea's defense footprint in Latin America spans multiple countries and platforms. Peru has concluded contracts for K2 main battle tanks and K808 wheeled armored vehicles, along with cooperative agreements for joint naval construction and submarine design.

Colombia has imported anti-ship missiles and missile launch systems, while Chile signed a bilateral defense agreement with Korea in 2023 followed by government-to-government contracts for light tactical and military vehicles.

On the sidelines of the exhibition, KODITS, Korean diplomatic missions and KOTRA's Latin America regional headquarters convened a Latin America Defense Export Council to assess market conditions and share strategy.

Participants flagged localization requirements, Spanish-language procurement procedures and frequent turnover among government procurement officials as persistent challenges to market entry.

KODITS also hosted a "Korea Defense Day 2026" event, bringing together Chilean and Latin American military and industry officials to develop partnership opportunities.

"Korea is regarded as the ideal partner for countries seeking to diversify their defense suppliers," said Jang Sung-gil, head of KODITS.

"We will work closely as a public-private team to expand defense export outcomes."

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.