Lee vows greater investment in defense industry to make S. Korea global powerhouse

South Korea celebrated its first "K-Defense Day" today.

Marking the event, President Lee Jae Myung vowed to make more investments in the defense industry to make the country one of the leading global powerhouses in the field.

Presidential Office correspondent Yoon Jung-min reports.

Celebrating the 1st "K-Defense Day," in the capital on Tuesday, the arms industry was put front and center not only as a key to national defense for the country, technically still at war, but also as the nation's future growth engine.

"We plan to make greater efforts to invest in and support the defense industry, so that we can move forward as a global powerhouse in the defense industry."

For that, President Lee Jae Myung laid out his vision to develop "competitive" weapons systems involving AI or unmanned robots to keep pace with the changing security dynamics, while calling for broader participation by defense firms regardless of their size, rather than by a small group of large conglomerates.

The South Korean leader also vowed to make efforts for intergovernmental security cooperation.

Along with government officials, present at the meeting were some 100 representatives of defense firms small and big alike including Hanwha Aerospace to pitch their ideas behind closed doors to help outline related policies.

"Participants pointed out the difficulties of securing technology, building infrastructure, and accessing defense data, and urged the need to establish an integrated defense data system."

It was no coincidence that the president also called for creating a new control tower to nurture the nation's defense industry earlier in the morning at a Cabinet meeting, also asking participants to review instituting a strategy meeting as a regular event to boost arms exports.

Tuesday's discussion comes amid the growing recognition of arms exports with demand on the rise due to the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, often emerging as a centerpiece for diplomacy with the U.S. and the EU among others.

Upgrading technology on the battlefield has also been a topic often revisited amid a dwindling population.

Yoon Jung-min, Arirang News.