President Lee Jae-myung, who is visiting New York, United States, for the 80th U.N. General Assembly, held a summit with Polish President Karol Nawrocki on the 24th (local time). At the meeting, the two countries agreed to expand cooperation in the defense industry as well as investment in advanced industries by Korean corporations.
According to Lee Kyu-yeon, senior secretary for public relations at the presidential office, the two leaders noted that bilateral cooperation in the defense industry, centered on tanks and other equipment, has continued to advance, and they reached a consensus to increase cooperation so that Korean and Polish corporations can achieve mutually beneficial results.
Poland, a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), has recently been under pressure from the U.S. Donald Trump administration to increase defense spending. With the Russia-Ukraine war dragging on, demand for defense industry products has also grown. Poland has already imported a large volume of Korean-made weapons, and, on the occasion of this summit, agreed to expand economic cooperation.
President Nawrocki said of the K2 tanks contracted with Korea that they are being introduced "with delivery schedules kept well." In response, Lee said, "Korean-made weapons have strong advantages, including good quality, good cost-effectiveness, and never missing delivery timelines," and proposed, "Let's broaden and strengthen cooperation to other defense systems." President Nawrocki replied, "I am well aware of the excellence of the Korean defense industry," adding, "Let's further develop cooperation in the defense sector."
In particular, Lee said cooperation should be expanded through Poland's recent submarine program. Poland is currently pursuing the 8 trillion won navy modernization "Orka Project." It includes a goal to introduce three new submarines. Global corporations, including Korea's Hanwha Group, Germany's ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS), Italy's Fincantieri, and Sweden's Saab, are competing for the contract.
The two leaders also exchanged views on the situation on the Korean Peninsula and regional developments, including Ukraine. According to Senior Secretary Lee, President Nawrocki assessed that "amid various international security issues being raised, it was timely for Korea to host a forum at the U.N. Security Council open debate to discuss technology and security issues, including artificial intelligence (AI)."