Kim Seung-yeon, Chairman of Hanwha Group, emphasized AI (artificial intelligence) as the core competitiveness for future defense industries. The plan is to stay ahead in the global defense market by securing unique national defense AI capabilities.
Kim (Chairman) visited the Hanwha Systems Gumi Plant located in Gumi, Gyeongsangbuk-do on the 22nd. Senior Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan, the chairman's eldest son, and Hanwha Systems CEO Yang Gi-won, along with other key executives, accompanied Kim (Chairman). This on-site management visit by Kim (Chairman) is the second this year, following a visit to the Jeju Space Center in January.
At the site, Kim (Chairman) stated, "The core factor determining Hanwha Group's defense industry competitiveness is AI, and Hanwha Systems plays the central role." He added, "Hanwha Systems, which connects the core capabilities of land, sea, air, and space created by Hanwha Aerospace and Hanwha Ocean through an AI command and control system, serves as the brain and nervous network responsible for Hanwha's defense industry."
He continued, "I believe Hanwha Systems is at the center of AI and system integration for the group's defense sector. I hope we will cultivate unique national defense AI capabilities that no one can replace."
He did not forget to stress the importance of 'safety.' Kim (Chairman) explained, "Major achievements start with safety. There is no future without secured safety. The attitude of carefully looking after not only my own safety but also that of colleagues and partner companies must become the daily routine at the Gumi Plant." He also added, "This spirit of prioritizing safety will serve as the foundation for protecting yourselves and your families in industrial sites, and for protecting comrades and the nation on the battlefield."
He encouraged employees by saying, "The Gumi Plant has grown into an export forward base for Hanwha defense expanding to the global market and a hub for technological innovation. What you produce is not merely equipment or software; it is the power that connects and activates all of Hanwha's defense capabilities and forms the foundation supporting the security of the Republic of Korea."
In fact, the Hanwha Systems Gumi Plant is emerging as a core hub for strengthening the group's national defense AI and system integration competitiveness. In December last year, Hanwha Systems invested approximately 280 billion won in its existing Gumi facility to complete a new plant spanning over 89,000 square meters (approximately 27,000 pyeong), more than double the previous size. Equipped with advanced production and testing facilities, including Korea's largest clean room of about 1,500 pyeong in the domestic defense industry, it is responding to growing domestic and international defense demands. It enables the development of key defense electronic equipment such as radars, electro-optical systems, and ship combat systems.
Multi-function radars and ship combat systems produced at this plant are representative K-defense export items. Hanwha Systems has successfully exported the Cheonggong-II medium-range surface-to-air missile system's multi-function radar to the UAE (United Arab Emirates), Saudi Arabia, and Iraq. It is expanding its global market share by supplying domestically developed ship combat systems to 15 Philippine Navy vessels, among other initiatives.
On this day, Kim (Chairman) visited the assembly and testing site for the Cheonggong-II multi-function radar. This was a direct inspection of the AI-based integrated air defense system being developed by Hanwha Systems. He visited a large-scale near-field test site that precisely measures radar antenna performance to examine the testing and verification capabilities of major radars, including the Cheonggong multi-function radar and KF-21 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar. He also inspected the Cockpit-type Integrated Bridge System (IBS), which Hanwha Systems developed for the first time in Korea in the maritime field.
Kim (Chairman) shared lunch with employees, spending time offering encouragement and communication. In the Gumi Plant's guestbook, he wrote, "The starting point of K-defense AI innovation; Hanwha Systems will build the future of South Korea's self-reliant defense."
in INDUSTRY
