South Korea’s Arms Sales Double in Wake of Russia’s War in Ukraine
- Country finds a high-sales niche in global weapons market
- Poland, UAE among top importers of South Korean arms
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Russia’s war in Ukraine has opened a door for South Korea’s defense exports, which are on track to more than double this year as buyers seek to replace Soviet-era weaponry with higher tech arms from the Asian country.
South Korea’s defense exports totaled about $17 billion as of November this year, up from $7.25 billion a year before. Major buyers include countries that have for decades relied on stockpiles of aging Russian weaponry, like Poland, but have seen that many of those systems are no match for the weapons that arm the US and its allies.