Very first supply of S. Korean major weapons comes to Poland

GDYNIA, Poland (AP) — Polish President Andrzej Duda and the country’s protection minister on Tuesday took shipping and delivery of a first shipment of tanks and howitzers from South Korea, hailing the swift implementation of a deal signed in the summertime in the face of the war in neighboring Ukraine.

Duda and Mariusz Blaszczak have been in the Polish Navy port of Gdynia, on the Baltic coastline, to mark the arrival by sea of the 1st 10 Black Panther K2 tanks, together with 24 Thunder K9 howitzers, from a $5.8 billion offer with Seoul.

They stressed that South Korea responded speedily to the want by Poland, a European Union country, to urgently improve its deterrence and protection probable as Russia is fighting a war in Ukraine, just throughout Poland’s eastern border.

“The quick rate of this delivery is of vital great importance in the facial area of Russian aggression and the war in Ukraine,” Duda said.

“This is the upcoming, this is the authentic strengthening of Poland’s stability,” Duda reported, standing prior to the tanks and the howitzers.

“In buy to end aggression, to halt the enemy, it is essential for the military to have this present day equipment,” he added.

Korean government and protection marketplace officers were being also present at the ceremony in chilly, damp weather conditions.

South Korea’s Minister of the Armaments Company, Eom Dong-hwan, claimed the arrival of the Korean gear has “great significance for the record of Korean-Polish relations.”

Eom reported the “world is looking at with attention” the two countries’ speedily building protection cooperation, and expressed hope the tanks and howitzers will participate in a sizeable role in Poland’s defense at a time of “rapid modifications in the security situation.”

Blaszczak stressed that the armaments are among the wold’s most innovative systems.

“We want peace so we are making ready for war,” Blaszczak claimed, invoking an ancient Latin saying.

Additional deliveries are prepared via 2025.

Poland is obtaining hundreds of K2 Black Panther tanks designed by Hyundai Rotem and of K9 Thunder howitzers made by Hanhwa Defense. The offer incorporates coaching, logistics, vital linked machines and ammunition.

The conservative federal government in Warsaw is also obtaining Korean-created a number of missile launchers, K239 Chunmoo, and FA-50 fighter jets, a gentle training and beat plane built jointly by Korea Aerospace and Lockheed Martin, for some $3 billion.

Poland is also searching for a know-how transfer so it can start output domestically.