There Were No Defense Companies in President Moon's Advanced Defense Technology

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu Reporter] President Moon Jae-in mentioned advanced weapon development technology during his visit to the Defense Agency for Technology and Quality (ADD) Daejeon Headquarters, but he did not acknowledge the efforts of domestic defense companies involved in the development of advanced weapons, leaving the defense industry feeling disappointed.

On the 25th, industry insiders said, "The advanced weapons President Moon referred to are all technologies developed with the participation of domestic defense company researchers, but it seemed like the ADD researchers developed them 100% on their own, which gave a misleading impression about defense technology."

President Moon visited ADD on the 23rd. This was his first visit to the research institute in over three years since his visit to the ADD Anheung Test Site in Taean, Chungnam, in June 2017. The visit was held ahead of the 50th anniversary of ADD’s establishment on the 6th of next month. On that day, President Moon observed cutting-edge strategic weapons, received a briefing on the status of domestic weapon system development, and held a meeting with researchers.

President Moon said, "It is very meaningful to visit the Daejeon Research Institute, which is leading the advancement and scientific development of our national defense." He added, "The foundation of an autonomous and strong defense capability is the Defense Agency for Technology and Quality."

However, the industry's voice is different. Although ADD promoted domestic weapon systems as premium weapons every time they were unveiled, when defects and accidents occurred, all responsibility was shifted to the defense industry. In 2008, ADD announced the selection of 10 premium weapons to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the armed forces on Armed Forces Day. The weapons announced at that time included the K-21 armored vehicle, K-9 self-propelled howitzer, and K-11 combined rifle.

However, accidents followed after their deployment. The K-21 armored vehicle experienced a flooding accident during a rehearsal for a fording exercise in December 2009. Three soldiers on board escaped safely. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced in February of the following year that the vehicle’s amphibious capability had been re-verified. However, in July of the same year, another flooding accident occurred with the K-21 armored vehicle, resulting in the drowning of one non-commissioned officer. The military authorities formed an investigation team to thoroughly identify the cause and concluded that the flooding was due to the failure of the wave breaker during the fording exercise. However, the ADD and the Defense Technology Quality Institute engaged in a blame game over the wave breaker failure, and no institution took responsibility.

The K-11 combined rifle had similar issues. In October 2011, an abnormal firing signal caused an explosion inside the barrel, injuring one soldier. In March 2014, another barrel explosion occurred due to an abnormal firing signal, injuring three soldiers. The military announced measures such as desensitizing the firing sensor and improving the power supply method of the fire control device, but no institution or personnel were disciplined within the military.

The K-9 self-propelled howitzer also experienced an internal explosion accident that resulted in the deaths of three soldiers and injuries to four others, but all related military institutions escaped responsibility. The responsibility for the series of accidents involving K-series weapons fell entirely on the manufacturers, leading to ongoing legal battles.

Some voices suggest that President Moon has been neglectful of the defense industry compared to the early days of his administration.

In 2017, President Moon attended the Seoul ADEX 2017 International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition, toured major domestic defense companies, listened to their difficulties, and promised active support.

However, after the Moon Jae-in administration took office, the defense industry’s performance declined. First, export amounts dropped sharply. Defense exports from 88 defense companies reached 2.7358 trillion won in 2016. But after the current government took office, exports fell to 1.7013 trillion won in 2017, 1.9991 trillion won in 2018, and recorded 1.7698 trillion won last year. Defense exports through March of this year totaled 329 billion won.

According to the '2018 Defense Industry Statistics and Competitiveness White Paper' published by the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade, Korea’s defense production value plummeted 12.9% from 16.1521 trillion won in 2016 to 14.0536 trillion won in 2017. The operating profit margin of defense companies dropped from 5.5% in 2013 to 0.9% in 2017. Although the government emphasizes building a strong military through the purchase of advanced weapons, the foundation of the defense industry is being shaken to its roots. Additionally, the defense budget, which had increased by an average of 7.5% annually since President Moon took office, was cut by 90.47 billion won to secure emergency disaster relief funds for overcoming COVID-19. This amount accounts for 2% of this year’s defense budget of 50.1527 trillion won.

Controversies have also continued regarding personnel related to the defense industry. The Future United Party’s Foreign Affairs and Security Special Committee demanded a thorough investigation, suspecting that the probe into the Marine Corps amphibious assault helicopter Marineon crash two years ago was not properly conducted due to Kim Jo-won, the Blue House Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs. The Marineon crash occurred on July 17, 2018, when one Marineon helicopter crashed immediately after takeoff due to the detachment of the main rotor, killing five soldiers. Kim, who was then president of Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), was also a subject of investigation.

On the 16th, the Future United Party’s Foreign Affairs and Security Special Committee held a press conference stating, "The Blue House appointed Kim Jo-won, the accused in this case, as Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs, and the prosecution has not made any progress in the investigation for two years."

A bereaved family member attending the press conference said, "For two years, we had no idea how the investigation was progressing. Last year, when the bereaved families opposed Kim’s appointment, a prosecutor called to offer an explanation, but the prosecutor should have communicated through the investigation and indictment, not by calling the bereaved families behind the scenes to try to brush it off," accusing the handling as unacceptable.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.