The Eastern European nation plans to procure 152 K9 Thunder self-propelled howitzers and 72 K239 Chunmoo rocket artillery systems, from South Korean defense contractor Hanwha Aerospace, with funding expected to be secured through European global banks.
The decision marks a shift from Poland's previous approach, where it received about 13.8 trillion won in financing support from the Export-Import Bank of Korea and the Korea Trade Insurance Corp. for its first batch of Korean arms procurement worth about 17 trillion won in 2022.
"Poland cannot afford to delay its defense capability enhancement given its proximity to Russia and Belarus," said Jang Won-joon, a research fellow at the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics & Trade. "For Poland, South Korea remains the only nation capable of delivering cost-effective defense products within their desired timeframe."
Polish President Andrzej Duda, who is on a state visit to South Korea, is scheduled to inspect production lines of the K9 Thunder series and K2 Black Panther tanks at South Korean defense manufacturers Hanwha Aerospace and Hyundai Rotem's facilities in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province on Friday.
