South Korea’s MIC Moves to Europe

Presidents change, but South Korea’s path towards acquiring NATO weapons remains unchanged.

South Korean MLRS for Norway

The missiles and launchers will be produced at Hanwha’s factory in Poland, which has ordered 300 such systems for its own armed forces and will serve as a supply hub for all European clients of the South Korean company. This includes three types of missiles with ranges of up to 500 km, as well as logistical support, training materials, and auxiliary systems.

The delivery of the launch units and training materials is scheduled for 2028-2029, with the missiles to follow in 2030-2031. The Norwegian Armed Forces will be able to put the MLRS on combat duty within four years, i.e., by 2030.

Norwegian authorities are not shying away from the fact that they are increasing the firepower of their armed forces to pose a threat to strategic Russian facilities on the Kola Peninsula. The head of the country’s defense ministry pointed out that Oslo’s decision to acquire MLRS capable of striking targets deep inside enemy territory is a response to the rearmament of Russia’s Northern Fleet. The Korean MLRS will become part of a separate artillery battalion, which will likely be stationed at the Bardufoss military base, located 500 km from the Norwegian-Russian border.

Many high-profile figures attended the event, including Kang Hoon-sik, Chief of Staff to the President of South Korea, serving as a special envoy for strategic economic cooperation; Kim Hyun-jong, First Deputy Director of the National Security Office of the South Korean Presidential Office; Lee Yong-chul, Minister of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA); South Korean Ambassador to Norway Seo Min-jeong, as well as representatives from the Norwegian defense ministry and armed forces.

It should be noted that Kang Hoon-sik arrived in Norway from Toronto, where he had been lobbying for the South Korean bid to participate in a submarine construction project and met with high-ranking officials there, including Prime Minister Mark Carney.

Slowly spreading across the planet

However, the “Norwegian episode” is an important link in the chain that the South Korean defense industry is trying to forge, but not the most prominent one.

As noted in an article by Alexandra........

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