Defense Acquisition Program Administration chief Lee Yong-cheol delivers congratulatory remarks at the 2026 Defense Industry Relations Law Seminar held at the National Defense Convention Center in Yongsan, Seoul, on Friday. [DAPA]
Defense Acquisition Program Administration chief Lee Yong-cheol delivers congratulatory remarks at the 2026 Defense Industry Relations Law Seminar held at the National Defense Convention Center in Yongsan, Seoul, on Friday. [DAPA]

Defense Acquisition Program Administration chief Lee Yong-cheol on Friday called for legal and institutional reforms to strengthen South Korea's defense export competitiveness.

Speaking at the 2026 Defense Industry Relations Law Seminar held at the National Defense Convention Center in Yongsan, Seoul, Lee said the legal and institutional foundations underpinning the defense industry must develop in tandem with the sector itself to secure stable competitiveness and growth potential for domestic companies.

He said South Korea's defense industry has grown into a core sector contributing to the national economy and security by expanding its export markets on the strength of advanced weapons systems and technology, but warned that simply scaling up operations has its limits amid a rapidly shifting international security environment and intensifying global competition.

Lee said the defense acquisition policy regime must simultaneously serve two values — national security and industrial development. Balanced management of the system is essential to ensure fairness and transparency while supporting corporate innovation and export competitiveness, he said.

The seminar took up a broad agenda of institutional reform, with discussions covering the advancement of defense export support frameworks, improvements to defense procurement legislation, and the establishment of clearer standards for judging effective competition in defense contracts.

Lee said he expects the seminar to produce practical policy alternatives grounded in expert opinion and field experience, and pledged that DAPA would strengthen institutional support for export expansion and continuously improve relevant laws and regulations so that companies can compete effectively in global markets.

He added that DAPA would do its utmost, through civilian-government-military cooperation, to help South Korea emerge as a world-class defense export powerhouse.


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