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 (¥2.3 trillion) as of November this year, up from $7.25 billion a year before. Major buyers include countries like Poland, who have for decades relied on stockpiles of aging Russian weaponry but have seen that many of those systems are no match for the weapons that arm the U.S. and its allies.
South Korea has found itself uniquely positioned in the global arms market with weapons that are relatively affordable and meant to defeat Soviet-based conventional systems used by its neighbor North Korea. Meanwhile, Washington seems to be giving the green light to ally Seoul to sell to states in places like eastern Europe as U.S. defense contractors race to fill orders for weapons that will go to Kyiv as well as Taipei, which is staring down threats from China.