S. Korea to sign additional deal to export K2 tanks to Poland as early as April: officials

SEOUL, March 9 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will likely sign another deal to export K2 tanks to Poland as early as next month, government officials said Sunday.

Under the proposed 9 trillion-won (US$6.2 billion) deal, Seoul is expected to export 180 additional K2 tanks to the European country, according to the government.

The two countries signed an agreement in July 2022, under which South Korea agreed to sell K2 tanks, K9 self-propelled howitzers, FA-50 light attack aircraft and Chunmoo multiple rocket launchers to Poland.

South Korea signed its first contract, worth $12.4 billion, in August 2022 to ship 180 K2 tanks, 212 K9 howitzers and 48 FA-50 jets to Poland, and has since been pushing to export another batch of K2 tanks to Poland.

The two sides were expected to reach their arms deal last year, but the schedule was delayed due to a difference between the Polish government and a local company over the details of the deal, as well as the political chaos here that followed the short-lived martial law declaration by impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Dec. 3.

In a bilateral foreign ministers' meeting held in Warsaw last week, the two sides agreed to provide full support to swiftly finalize the countries' second round of contracts for Seoul's exports of the battle tanks and further advance their defense cooperation.

nyway@yna.co.kr
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