Overview

• The Agency for Defense Development’s 55th-anniversary report quantifies a cumulative economic impact of 69.7 billion won from 303 weapons systems developed since 1970, including 146 deployed by the military.
• ADD-developed systems comprise 43 percent of South Korea’s overseas defense exports from 2008 to 2025, out of roughly 60 trillion won in total contracts.
• The Cheongung-II medium-range surface-to-air missile and the K9 Thunder self-propelled howitzer emerge as the agency’s top export earners.
• A separate government assessment ranks South Korea’s defense technology capabilities eighth in the world.
• ADD reports that its R&D investment—totaling approximately 65 trillion won—has fostered around 380,000 jobs, reduced reliance on imported systems and driven broader technology spillovers.