"If Ended Like This, Production Base Collapse"... Mayor Heo Seong-mu Visits National Defense Committee, Requests K2 Tank Mass Production

Mayor Heo Seong-mu of Changwon (third from the right) is visiting the National Defense Committee of the National Assembly to propose to Min Hong-chul, Chairman of the National Defense Committee (left), regarding the 'Confirmation of the 4th Batch Production Requirement for K2 Tanks.' / Provided by Changwon City

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Sang-hyun] On the 3rd, Heo Seong-moo, mayor of Changwon City, Gyeongnam, visited the National Assembly's National Defense Committee and delivered a petition for the 'confirmation of the 4th mass production requirement of the K2 tank.'

This petition delivery was made in response to an appeal from the 'K2 Tank Small and Medium-sized Cooperation Companies Council' and to maintain the production base of small and medium-sized enterprises, which are the foundation of the defense industry.

The K2 tank is a project in which Hyundai Rotem produces the complete vehicle, involving about 1,100 small and medium-sized partner companies. Currently, the 3rd mass production is underway, and if additional mass production is not confirmed, it is scheduled to end in 2023.

In this regard, most of the small and medium-sized partner companies are small-scale businesses facing difficulties due to inventory burdens from repeated project delays and employment burdens to maintain their workforce. If the K2 tank mass production ends as is, there is concern about the collapse of the production base due to the production gap.

The petition stated that confirming the 4th mass production requirement is essential to prevent the collapse of the excellent domestic tank industry base that has been difficultly built up so far.

It also added that as the 'only tank continuously mass-produced and being operationalized,' this decision is essential for exports as it can provide trust to countries considering the introduction of the K2 tank, such as Norway, Oman, and Poland.

Mayor Heo said, "Through additional mass production of the K2 tank, the production base of small and medium-sized enterprises will be maintained, and if exports are made based on this, the employment and production effects of small and medium-sized partner companies will continue to expand."

In response, Min Hong-chul, chairman of the National Defense Committee, pledged to actively cooperate to reflect the voices from the defense industry field.

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