By Kang Seung-woo
Whether to pick a new chief of the nation's arms procurement agency is posing a dilemma for President Yoon Suk-yeol, as its current leader from the previous administration is leading the domestic defense industry, which is expected to see a boom following robust exports.
Although there has been some talk about candidates for the minister of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), the president has yet to come up with a replacement for the current chief, Kang Eun-ho, who was appointed by former President Moon Jae-in in December 2020.
According to military sources, Yoon's struggle to pick a new DAPA minister is mainly due to a shortage of eligible candidates.
"As far as I know, the candidates who were recommended failed to make the cut," a source said.
Traditionally, DAPA chiefs have found themselves in the hot seat over whether the agency's number of contracts was appropriate. For example, earlier this year, Korea inked a contract to sell K-9 self-propelled howitzers to Egypt in a deal worth over 2 trillion won ($1.5 billion), but the government was under fire for its agreement to grant a loan so that the African country could purchase the weapon.
According to Shin Jong-woo, a senior researcher at the Korea Defense and Security Forum, the government's plan to scale down the DAPA may have affected the delay as well.
"The Yoon administration is anticipated to streamline the bulky organization, with no one refusing to play a bad role in reducing its authority," Shin said, adding that DAPA has sought to gain more power beyond procurement.
The military source also said, "The post has been filled by senior military or defense firm officials, but they seem to believe that the job is not appealing enough for them to run the risk."
The delay comes as there are some good news for the local defense industry, as evidenced by Poland's growing interest in Korea Aerospace Industries' FA-50 light attacker and Hyundai Rotem's K2 tank.
In addition, Yoon and U.S. President Joe Biden agreed to strengthen their partnership in the area of defense during their summit, May 21, including beginning discussions on a Reciprocal Defense Procurement agreement, which is expected to help Korean companies export weapons to the U.S.
Yoon plans to attend the NATO leaders' meeting in Spain later this month, which the DAPA minister is also expected to attend amid expectations that a deal with Poland may be struck. Poland belongs to NATO.
However, some think that the current minister might not play an active role under the new administration.
Meanwhile, unlike in the case of the appointment of a new DAPA chief, the ruling People Power Party and the government are pressuring Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC) Chairperson Jeon Hyun-heui and Han Sang-hyuk, chairman of the Korea Communications Commission, to step down, both of whom were also picked by the former president.
Last week, the presidential office prevented them from attending a Cabinet meeting, while Yoon indirectly urged them to resign by saying, "I am sure they will decide since they have their terms."
In response, Jeon refused to bow down to the pressure, Saturday, saying that she would fully carry out her duties to protect the people's rights and interests.
Whether to pick a new chief of the nation's arms procurement agency is posing a dilemma for President Yoon Suk-yeol, as its current leader from the previous administration is leading the domestic defense industry, which is expected to see a boom following robust exports.
 |
| Kang Eun-ho / Newsis |
According to military sources, Yoon's struggle to pick a new DAPA minister is mainly due to a shortage of eligible candidates.
"As far as I know, the candidates who were recommended failed to make the cut," a source said.
Traditionally, DAPA chiefs have found themselves in the hot seat over whether the agency's number of contracts was appropriate. For example, earlier this year, Korea inked a contract to sell K-9 self-propelled howitzers to Egypt in a deal worth over 2 trillion won ($1.5 billion), but the government was under fire for its agreement to grant a loan so that the African country could purchase the weapon.
According to Shin Jong-woo, a senior researcher at the Korea Defense and Security Forum, the government's plan to scale down the DAPA may have affected the delay as well.
"The Yoon administration is anticipated to streamline the bulky organization, with no one refusing to play a bad role in reducing its authority," Shin said, adding that DAPA has sought to gain more power beyond procurement.
The military source also said, "The post has been filled by senior military or defense firm officials, but they seem to believe that the job is not appealing enough for them to run the risk."
The delay comes as there are some good news for the local defense industry, as evidenced by Poland's growing interest in Korea Aerospace Industries' FA-50 light attacker and Hyundai Rotem's K2 tank.
In addition, Yoon and U.S. President Joe Biden agreed to strengthen their partnership in the area of defense during their summit, May 21, including beginning discussions on a Reciprocal Defense Procurement agreement, which is expected to help Korean companies export weapons to the U.S.
Yoon plans to attend the NATO leaders' meeting in Spain later this month, which the DAPA minister is also expected to attend amid expectations that a deal with Poland may be struck. Poland belongs to NATO.
 |
| Jeon Hyun-heui / Korea Times photo |
Meanwhile, unlike in the case of the appointment of a new DAPA chief, the ruling People Power Party and the government are pressuring Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC) Chairperson Jeon Hyun-heui and Han Sang-hyuk, chairman of the Korea Communications Commission, to step down, both of whom were also picked by the former president.
Last week, the presidential office prevented them from attending a Cabinet meeting, while Yoon indirectly urged them to resign by saying, "I am sure they will decide since they have their terms."
In response, Jeon refused to bow down to the pressure, Saturday, saying that she would fully carry out her duties to protect the people's rights and interests.
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