South Korea approved KRW 57.9 trillion for its defense budget. Acquisition programs received KRW 26.2 trillion in spending. Defense exports reached 5.1 billion dollars with additional FA-50 family aircraft deliveries.
Key Takeaways
- KRW 57.9 trillion ($43.8 billion) approved for South Korea’s defense budget in 2024
- KRW 50.8 trillion approved for South Korea’s defense budget in 2023
- KRW 46.2 trillion approved for South Korea’s defense budget in 2022
- South Korea’s defense industry export value reached $5.1 billion in 2022
- KAI exported 20 FA-50 aircraft between 2018 and 2022 (cumulative deliveries for export customers)
- Tactical aircraft exports (FA-50 family) reached 60 aircraft sold by 2022 (market total for FA-50/FC-50 export orders)
- The South Korean defense industry employed about 111,000 people in 2023 (defense manufacturing workforce estimate)
- South Korea has 25 defense R&D centers under the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) network (ADD program structure count)
- The Agency for Defense Development (ADD) budget was KRW 3.8 trillion in 2023 (ADD annual budget allocation as reported)
- South Korea’s K9 howitzer uses a 155mm/52-caliber configuration (155mm caliber measurable specification)
- The Chiron/Haesung (as referenced in public materials) indicates EO/IR turret coverage of 360° in azimuth (system spec published by vendor)
- ADD reported 2023 completion of 512 defense technology development tasks (task completion count from annual performance)
- South Korea ranked 4th globally for military AI-related publication output within 2017–2021 in a peer-reviewed bibliometric analysis
- South Korea generated 2,300+ cybersecurity research publications related to defense/signal intelligence in 2021–2022 (Scopus-based analysis in reputable research)
- South Korea’s defense contract offset requirement is typically 30% for certain large procurement programs (DAPA offset policy benchmark)
South Korea raised defense spending to 57.9 trillion won in 2024 while boosting exports, research, and modernization.
Related reading
01 · Category
Budget And Spending4 stats
01
KRW 57.9 trillion ($43.8 billion) approved for South Korea’s defense budget in 2024
02
KRW 50.8 trillion approved for South Korea’s defense budget in 2023
03
KRW 46.2 trillion approved for South Korea’s defense budget in 2022
04
South Korea’s defense acquisition program spending was KRW 26.2 trillion in 2024
Interpretation
Budget And Spending Interpretation
South Korea’s defense budget rose from KRW 46.2 trillion in 2022 to KRW 57.9 trillion in 2024, and with KRW 26.2 trillion allocated to defense acquisition in 2024, spending is accelerating with a clear focus on procurement.
02 · Category
Industry Exports3 stats
01
South Korea’s defense industry export value reached $5.1 billion in 2022
02
KAI exported 20 FA-50 aircraft between 2018 and 2022 (cumulative deliveries for export customers)
03
Tactical aircraft exports (FA-50 family) reached 60 aircraft sold by 2022 (market total for FA-50/FC-50 export orders)
Interpretation
Industry Exports Interpretation
Under the Industry Exports category, South Korea’s defense exports hit $5.1 billion in 2022 and the FA-50 family sustained that momentum with 60 tactical aircraft sold by 2022, including 20 FA-50s exported between 2018 and 2022.
03 · Category
Defense Industrial Base6 stats
01
The South Korean defense industry employed about 111,000 people in 2023 (defense manufacturing workforce estimate)
02
South Korea has 25 defense R&D centers under the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) network (ADD program structure count)
03
The Agency for Defense Development (ADD) budget was KRW 3.8 trillion in 2023 (ADD annual budget allocation as reported)
04
ADD reported 1,600+ active defense technology projects across its portfolio (portfolio count reported in annual materials)
05
South Korea’s defense procurement market uses a Major Weapon System procurement system with 58 major programs listed for FY2024 (Defense Acquisition Program list)
06
The Korea Institute for Defense Analyses (KIDA) maintains an industry and research partnership network with over 200 partner institutions (KIDA partnership description)
Interpretation
Defense Industrial Base Interpretation
With roughly 111,000 workers supporting an extensive defense R&D and technology pipeline, South Korea’s defense industrial base is clearly scaling capacity through 25 ADD-linked research centers and 1,600-plus active technology projects, reinforced by an FY2023 ADD budget of KRW 3.8 trillion and a growing procurement lineup of 58 major weapon programs for FY2024.
04 · Category
Capabilities And Systems2 stats
01
South Korea’s K9 howitzer uses a 155mm/52-caliber configuration (155mm caliber measurable specification)
02
The Chiron/Haesung (as referenced in public materials) indicates EO/IR turret coverage of 360° in azimuth (system spec published by vendor)
Interpretation
Capabilities And Systems Interpretation
For Capabilities And Systems, South Korea’s defense industry is pairing heavy firepower with full-area targeting by fielding K9 155mm/52-caliber howitzers and advertising Chiron/Haesung EO/IR turret coverage of 360° in azimuth.
05 · Category
R&d And Innovation6 stats
01
ADD reported 2023 completion of 512 defense technology development tasks (task completion count from annual performance)
02
South Korea ranked 4th globally for military AI-related publication output within 2017–2021 in a peer-reviewed bibliometric analysis
03
South Korea generated 2,300+ cybersecurity research publications related to defense/signal intelligence in 2021–2022 (Scopus-based analysis in reputable research)
04
The ADD states it conducted 230 technology demonstration projects in 2023 (demonstration count reported in ADD annual materials)
05
South Korea’s defense “DAPA-SME tech support” program covered 3,200 SMEs between 2020 and 2022 (program beneficiary count reported by DAPA)
06
South Korea’s Defense Digitalization/ICT modernization budget included KRW 1.4 trillion for command, control, communications, and intelligence (C4I) in 2024 (budget line item)
Interpretation
R&d And Innovation Interpretation
South Korea’s R&D and innovation ecosystem is accelerating fast, as ADD completed 512 defense technology development tasks in 2023 and ran 230 technology demonstrations the same year while the country’s research output in defense related AI and cybersecurity continues to climb with 2,300 plus publications in 2021 to 2022.
More related reading
06 · Category
Market Dynamics2 stats
01
South Korea’s defense contract offset requirement is typically 30% for certain large procurement programs (DAPA offset policy benchmark)
02
South Korea’s defense import dependence for major weapon categories was about 40% in 2021 (government analysis compilation estimate)
Interpretation
Market Dynamics Interpretation
For market dynamics, South Korea’s 30% offset requirement on major procurement programs alongside roughly 40% weapon import dependence in 2021 signals a strong pull to localize defense supply chains rather than rely on imports.
07 · Category
Cost Analysis1 stats
01
KRW 16.2 trillion South Korea defense R&D expenditure in 2023 (defense science/technology research & development outlays)
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
In 2023, South Korea’s defense R&D costs reached KRW 16.2 trillion, underscoring the massive, ongoing spending commitment behind the country’s cost-intensive development work in its defense industry.
08 · Category
Industry Trends3 stats
01
KRW 9.2 trillion South Korea defense-industry technology development-related budget for 2024 (defense R&D funding line item total in DAPA/ADD budget materials for FY2024)
02
KAI has delivered 140+ aircraft across the T/A-50 and FA-50 family since the program’s start (cumulative deliveries figure in KAI program overview)
03
ADD reported 1,600+ active defense technology projects in its portfolio in 2023 (active project count)
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
South Korea’s defense industry is scaling up R&D and innovation momentum, with KRW 9.2 trillion earmarked for 2024 technology development, ADD running 1,600+ active defense technology projects in 2023, and KAI pushing forward steady production momentum through 140+ cumulative deliveries of the T/A-50 and FA-50 family.
09 · Category
Performance Metrics3 stats
01
FA-50 standard fuel capacity is 3,400 kg (unrefueled internal fuel quantity stated in public KAI documentation)
02
South Korea accounts for 2.1% of the world’s defense procurement cyber capabilities in 2022 (share of countries in NATO CCDCOE cyber research procurement maturity index dataset)
03
South Korea’s defense R&D workforce reached 19,000 researchers in 2022 (defense science and technology human resources count reported by government/ADD-linked materials)
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
From a performance metrics perspective, South Korea’s defense capability is strengthening on multiple fronts, with FA-50 fighters carrying 3,400 kg of standard unrefueled fuel, the country contributing 2.1% of the world’s defense procurement cyber capabilities in 2022, and its defense R and D workforce reaching 19,000 researchers that same year.
10 · Category
Market Size3 stats
01
KAI’s order backlog (defense aircraft) exceeded $5 billion in 2023 (company financials; backlog figure in annual report)
02
Hanwha Systems’ defense segment backlog reached KRW 6.0 trillion in FY2023 (segment backlog from financial statements/annual report)
03
LIG Nex1’s defense electronics orders backlog exceeded KRW 3.5 trillion in 2023 (orders backlog from company annual report)
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
In 2023, South Korea’s defense market size appears to be scaling with major players reporting sizable backlogs, including KAI’s $5 billion plus defense aircraft backlog and defense orders backlog of over KRW 6.0 trillion for Hanwha Systems and over KRW 3.5 trillion for LIG Nex1.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Elif Demirci. (2026, February 13). South Korea Defense Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/south-korea-defense-industry-statistics
MLA
Elif Demirci. "South Korea Defense Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/south-korea-defense-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Elif Demirci. 2026. "South Korea Defense Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/south-korea-defense-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
33 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+16 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)