South Korea and Malaysia have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to strengthen cooperation in defense industry and technology development, Seoul’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced on Monday.
The agreement was signed in Kuala Lumpur by DAPA Minister Seok Jong-gun and Malaysian Defense Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit. It aims to broaden collaboration in arms procurement, defense technology research, and joint production of defense equipment.
Seok stated that Korea intends to “go beyond exports of weapon systems” by contributing to Malaysia’s defense capability development and industrial growth as “a genuine partner,” while also supporting regional stability in Southeast Asia.
The new MoU follows decades of defense cooperation between the two nations. Korea supplied K200 armored vehicles to Malaysia in 1993 and signed a $920 million deal in 2023 to deliver 18 FA-50 light attack aircraft.
According to DAPA, Korea has now signed defense cooperation MoUs with 52 countries as part of its efforts to become one of the world’s leading defense exporters. For Malaysia, this marks only its second such agreement with a foreign nation.
Last week, the two countries also signed a separate pact to mutually recognize the airworthiness certification of their military aircraft—the first such deal between Seoul and an Asian nation.