South Korea and Poland will help the EU overcome the arms shortage.

South Korea is already implementing the largest arms deal, $13.7B, in Seoul’s history with Poland, reported Reuters. It is noted that South Korea’s arms sales jumped to more than $17B in 2022 from $7.25B a year earlier. The reason is that Western countries have worked to arm Ukraine, and tensions increased in other hot spots.

Last year’s arms deal with Poland included hundreds of Chunmoo missile launchers, K2 tanks, K9 self-propelled howitzers, and FA-50 fighter jets. The agreement involves using international public-private partnerships and consortia to expand Seoul’s reach and achieve its ambitions to become one of the world’s largest arms suppliers.

It has established a consortium of South Korean and Polish companies that will produce the weapons, maintain fighter jets and create the basis for supply to other European countries. It is planned that 500 of the 820 total number of tanks to be produced and 300 of the 672 planned howitzers will be produced in Polish plants starting in 2026.