President Lee Jae-myung on the 17th appointed Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik as a "special envoy for strategic economic cooperation" to implement the national agenda of "K-defense, one of the world's top four," and is speeding up defense sales targeting major European countries. As countries support government-level financial aid and cooperation in industry and startups in the global defense market, the plan is to build a "defense control tower" that spans the entire presidential office to actively support K-defense exports. The size of the defense products being pursued with the countries in question totals $56.2 billion (about 79 trillion won).
Presidential Office Spokesperson Kang Yu-jeong said at a briefing that "Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik will visit defense cooperation target countries in Europe next week to deliver the president's personal letter," and "starting with this, he plans to carry out the president's special envoy mission for strategic economic cooperation three times through the first half of next year." The presidential office explained that Kang was appointed chief of staff because a high-level figure was needed who could discuss comprehensive support measures—security and economy—for the negotiating countries, beyond a simple industrial field.
The dispatch of the special envoy comes as the final result of the bid for Poland's "Orka Project," worth 8 trillion won, is imminent. The project is for the Polish Navy to introduce three new 3,000-ton submarines, with HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and Hanwha Ocean competing against companies from France, Germany, Italy, and Sweden. Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-baek recently said there is "a chance of winning," underscoring the government's strong interest.
As the talks are ongoing, the presidential office did not specify particular countries on this day. However, according to ChosunBiz reporting, a special envoy team made up of Korea's major defense corporations is preparing negotiations with the Polish side. After meeting with Polish government officials, they also plan to visit Korean defense companies that have entered Poland to check market conditions. In this situation, it appears the presidential office has dispatched a key senior aide to actively support the negotiations.
Kang, the spokesperson, said, "In the past, defense export projects hinged more on the individual capabilities of defense companies than on intergovernmental cooperation, but for the mega-scale defense industries being rapidly pursued around the world recently, broad government support across the economy has become the key driver determining export success or failure." On the timing of sending the special envoy, Kang said, "Major decisions are imminent regarding the selection of contractors for the mega-scale defense weapons acquisition projects currently underway," adding, "We are pushing to visit quickly."
Kang added, "Support for defense exports does not end in one go; it must be pursued continuously in line with the characteristics of each target country and the stage of each project," and said, "The government plans to continue step-by-step cooperation from working-level officials to the highest level in the future."