Korea Hopes to Launch Asia’s Top Defense Industry Fair

Korean Information Service, Korea plans to consolidate its three main arms and military machinery exhibitions in a bid to inaugurate Asia’s top-level defense industry fair within the next decade, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said Monday (April 30). 
 
“There are three small defense industry fairs, each operated by the Army, Navy and aerospace sector, leading to unnecessary budget spending and low competitiveness,” a DAPA spokesman said. “We are pushing for the merger of the events by next year and launch of the first consolidated exhibition in 2009.” 
 
The DAPA, begun in January 2006, aims to make the envisioned exhibition a world-class event in kind, he added. 
 
Korea will also benchmark Israel for its advanced defense industry support system, according to the official. 
 
The agency will step up efforts this year to sell weapons to Peru, Columbia, Mexico, Oman, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Morocco, Botswana, and Kazakhstan, he said.