Asean turns to ‘reliable’ South Korea to feed growing demand for affordable hi-tech arms

Malaysia’s recent purchase of 18 FA-50 fighter jets from South Korea follows other arms sales to the Philippines and Indonesia

South Korea is increasingly viewed as a reliable partner country with ‘less political and strategic’ baggage, one analyst says

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South Korean Air Force FA-50 fighter jets, manufactured by Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd. during a joint live-fire exercise with the US army at the Seungjin Fire Training Center in Pocheon, South Korea, on May 25, 2023. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 9:45am, 1 Jun 2023

South Korea is shaping up to be the new arms supplier for Southeast Asian countries, following a recent purchase by Malaysia that adds to the region’s growing demand for advanced yet affordable equipment, analysts have said.

Malaysia’s defence ministry last week said it had signed agreements worth US$2.28 billion at this year’s biennial Langkawi Maritime and Aerospace exhibition, including the purchase of 18 FA-50 light attack aircraft from Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI).

This comes on the heels of the Philippines and Indonesia – said to be two of the largest buyers of South Korean weapons – accounting for 16 per cent and 14 per cent of its sales, respectively. From 2017 to 2021, South Korea shipped slightly less than US$2 billion worth of arms to Southeast Asian countries.

Korea Aerospace Industries and Malaysian officials at a signing ceremony for a contract under which Malaysia will purchase 18 South Korean-made FA-50 fighter jets, at the Langkawi International Maritime & Aerospace Exhibition on May 23, 2023. Photo: EPA-EFE/Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd

South Korea’s total arms sales jumped from US$7.25 billion in 2021 to over US$17 billion last year, according to its defence ministry, as Western countries scrambled to arm Ukraine and tensions rose in other hotspots such as North Korea and the South China Sea.

Ian Storey, senior fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute based in Singapore, said South Korea was an attractive option for Southeast Asian countries as unlike the major powers, Seoul was willing to transfer technology to support the development of domestic arms industries in the region.

“South Korean arms are hi-tech and cheaper than Western defence equipment,” Storey said, adding that Seoul’s defence companies would continue to enlarge their share of the arms sales pie in Southeast Asia.

Southeast Asian countries also see South Korea as a reliable partner country with “no hidden strategic agenda” and “less political and strategic” baggage as compared to other arms suppliers, according to Jaehyon Lee, a Southeast Asia expert at The Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul.