Defense companies belonging to South Korea's Hanwha Group have participated in a major defense expo underway in Washington D.C., as they strive to tap into the vast US and Latin American markets, coprporate sources said Monday.

Hanwha is operating a booth at the AUSA 2017 Annual Meeting & Exposition that opened earlier in the day. Hosted by the Association of the United States Army, and attended by more than 600 defense companies from around the world. The annual event is scheduled to run through Wednesday (local time).

Hanwha has dispatched around 60 representatives to the largest landpower exhibition and related forum in North America, along with an actual K9 self-propelled howitzer developed by Hanwha Land Systems and a Hybrid Biho anti-air weapons platform made by Hanwha Defense Systems.


Hybrid Biho is a new weapon that combines the self-propelled anti-air artillery of the existing system with the Shingung short-range anti-air guided missiles.

Hanwha transfered the equipment, weighing dozens of tons, from South Korea to the venue in D.C., which reflects its desire to make inroads into the local market.

"South Korea has been an importer of the US weapons. I am deeply moved that we put the locally made weapon systems on display at the heart of the US, which is a defense industry power," said Lee Jae-moo, who's in charge of Hanwha's overseas sales of defense goods. "We will push for aggressive marketing so that South Korea's defense industry will move forward through the entry into the US and Latin American markets."

Hanwha aims to become the world's top ten defense firm by increasing its arms sales to 12 trillion won ($10.4 billion) by 2025.

Earlier this year, it appointed Bernard Champoux, formerly a three-star commander of the US Eighth Army in South Korea, to lead its department dealing with US-related projects. (Yonhap)