Bucharest: The vice chief of Hanwha Group, South Korea's chemicals-to-shipbuilding conglomerate, has met with the Romanian prime minister to discuss potential cooperation with the Eastern European country in the defense industry, according to the group Wednesday. Hanwha Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan, accompanied by Kang Hoon-sik, chief of staff of South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, engaged in talks with Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan in Bucharest on Tuesday, as confirmed by a group official.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the purpose of Kim's visit is to facilitate South Korea's expansion of major defense exports to Europe and to promote national interests. During the visit, Kang delivered a letter from President Lee to Prime Minister Bolojan, serving as part of his mission as a special envoy to strengthen bilateral defense industry partnerships and boost South Korea's arms exports.
Kim's discussions reportedly focused on Romania's 4.9 trillion-won (US$3.5 billion) project aimed at acquiring new infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) to replace the country's aging Soviet-era armored vehicles. Hanwha is expected to compete in the bidding process against Germany's Rheinmetall AG, Britain's BAE Systems, and the U.S. firm General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS) for this significant project.
South Korea and Romania have recently bolstered their defense cooperation, highlighted by Hanwha Aerospace Co.'s 1.4 trillion-won contract with Romania in 2023 to supply K9 self-propelled howitzers and K10 ammunition resupply vehicles, further strengthening the ties between the two nations in the defense sector.