, Columnist
South Korea’s Cheap Weapons Still Won’t Sell Themselves
To tap into markets such as India and Indonesia, Seoul needs to focus on its geopolitical relationships as much as price.
In high demand.
Photographer: SeongJoon Cho/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
South Korea has long punched above its weight as an industrial power. Facing a constant existential threat has strengthened its resilience, self-reliance, and competitiveness.
Until recently, the Korean defense industry had not quite matched the export performance of the rest of the country’s economy. That’s changing: South Korea now ranks among the world’s top 10 arms exporters, notching $14 billion in exports last year to 12 countries, up from just four in 2022.