Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) and the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) of the Republic of Korea held the first Defense Industry and Design Convergence Forum (“Forum”) today at the Korea Institute of Design Promotion (KIDP) in Gyeonggi Province, following the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for stronger collaboration in weapon systems design, with the participation of 30 related institutions including the Korea Defense Industry Association (KDIA) and design and defense specialized companies.

Amid the recent increase of Korea’s arms exports, MOTIE and DAPA held the Forum based on a shared recognition of the need to closely cooperate in developing weapon systems design with aim to preemptively incorporate importers’ requests on not only the performance but also the weapon systems design, user convenience, and safety of Korean defense goods.

In his congratulatory remarks, MOTIE’s Vice Minister Sungtaek Park vowed active policy support for the two industries’ collaboration and convergence, sharing plans to strengthen the technological prowess of design firms with respect to AI-based modeling as well as virtual reality (VR)- and augmented reality (AR)-based mockup environment technology. 

Plans further include a joint project to support the development of optimal design for defense goods, providing education and design consulting to defense industry insiders at the Design-Driven Manufacturing Innovation Center, selecting and launching pilot projects by the first half of 2025 on improving the weapon systems’ usability and efficiency, and continuing to uncover collaboration items to tie in with project outcomes.

For continued collaboration between the two industries, DAPA will uncover projects and conduct demand surveys on weapon systems design improvement, while MOTIE will aim for early commercialization through matching of design-specialized firms and joint projects.

Vice Minister Park highlighted that design is a form of soft power that enhances product competitiveness and attractiveness, expressing anticipation for cooperation between MOTIE and DAPA to reduce industrial boundaries and creates synergy for discovering new growth engines.