Russia-Ukraine War: South and North Korea’s Weapons Exports

Seoul’s Defence Ministry has also been warning of “overwhelming” response to any North Korean provocations.4 Korean Conflict and Defence Industries in South and North Korea The conflict on the Korean Peninsula has its origins in the Cold War competition between the United States (US) and erstwhile Soviet Union which led to the division of the country in 1945 along the 38th parallel. [...] This arms race on the Korean Peninsula and the need to become ‘self-reliant’ had been pivotal in the rapid development of the defence industries in both South and North Korea.5 The rise of South Korea’s indigenous arms industries was largely due to the policies of the Park Chung-hee administration (1961-1979). [...] In the milieu of threats of the withdrawal of American forces from the South Korean soil, the Park administration began the strategy of attaining self-reliance in the defence production. [...] In its drive for building heavy and chemical industries needed for weapons production, the South Korean government mobilised the family-controlled big business groups or chaebol for the rapid industrialisation of the country.6 As a result, the state in South Korea supported the private industries and played a pivotal role in the economic transformation of the country.7 Due to its emphasis on heavy. [...] Evidently, the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has been regularly visiting the weapons production facilities and instructing the officials to strive for the expansion and modernisation of the defence industries.20 Kim Jong-un’s frequent trips to the military hardware production sites is also a part of the goal envisioned during the Eighth Party Congress of North Korea in 2024, to further develop t.