
South Korean soldiers sit on a K2 tank in Pyeongtaek.
South Korea's record arms sale to Poland will cement its standing as a middle power arms dealer, deepen its ties with NATO countries and cause concern with China and North Korea. On July 27, Poland signed a deal to purchase tanks, pieces of artillery and fighter jets from South Korea, marking the biggest-ever arms export in South Korean history. The weapons included in the deal are estimated to total $15-20 billion, which is over double the $7.1 billion worth of arms South Korea sold in all of 2021. Poland says it plans to use the South Korean weapons to resupply its own stockpiles after providing arms to Ukraine to fight Russia. Under the new deal, South Korea will provide Poland with 980 K2 Black Panther tanks made by Hyundai, 648 K9 howitzers made by Hanwha, and 48 FA-50 fighter jets developed by Korea Aerospace Industries and Lockheed Martin.