Hanwha's three defense companies (Hanwha Aerospace, Hanwha Systems, Hanwha Ocean) said on the 7th they held a U.S.-Korea defense cooperation roundtable on the 6th with senior U.S. defense officials, including former U.S. Pacific Command chief Harry Harris.
About 20 people attended the roundtable at the Hanwha Building in Janggyo-dong, Seoul, including former commander Harris, newly appointed general officers from the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps, and senior officials from the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). From Hanwha, key executives of the three defense companies, including Hanwha Systems and Hanwha Ocean, joined, with Seo Uk, president of Hanwha Aerospace, representing Hanwha.
Former commander Harris graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and served as commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet and U.S. Pacific Command, making him a key security figure in the Indo-Pacific region. He served as U.S. ambassador to Korea from 2018 to 2021 and is currently a senior fellow at the National Defense University (NDU) and an honorary chair of the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea.
At the meeting, executives from Hanwha's three defense companies presented the global business status and vision of the group's defense sector and the capabilities of major weapons systems, and shared ways to contribute to the U.S.-Korea alliance across land, air and maritime domains. Both sides agreed that Hanwha's defense industry capabilities are emerging as a core pillar of the alliance and discussed future cooperation measures in depth.
Hanwha Group has recently been ramping up efforts to penetrate the U.S. defense supply chain. Hanwha Defense USA recently said it will use its Opelika facility in Alabama as an integrated testing and facilities site for the K9 self-propelled howitzer family. The K9 has entered the local production phase. In addition, Hanwha Group is pursuing ammunition production in the United States.
A Hanwha Aerospace official said, "The U.S.-Korea alliance is the foundation of Hanwha's defense business, and we will build a model in which the two countries' defense industries grow together through investment, production and technology cooperation in the United States," adding, "With this roundtable as a starting point, we will strengthen trust among senior officials on both sides and actively identify concrete cooperation agendas."