Poland’s ex-defense chief pushes to max out South Korean arms deals

Jaroslaw Adamowski
·2 min read

WARSAW, Poland — As the Polish Ministry of National Defence is locked in negotiations with South Korea’s government on weapon deliveries, accusing Seoul of offering “unacceptable” financial terms, Poland’s largest opposition party is calling on the new government here to contract for even more weapons from the Asian nation.

Former Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak, who is a lawmaker for the right-wing Law and Justice party and chairs its parliamentary faction, signed numerous deals to buy South Korean weapons worth billions of dollars while in office. The orders included FA-50 light attack aircraft, K9 howitzers, K2 Black Panther tanks, and K239 Chunmoo multi-barreled missile launchers. The politician believes the government should acquire the maximum number of units foreseen in the framework contracts.

“To date, we have signed executive contracts for the delivery of more than 200 K239 Chunmoo launchers, 48 FA-50 aircraft, more than 300 K9 howitzers, and nearly 200 K2 tanks. To fully execute the framework agreements we made with the Koreans, the current government should contract more K9s, K2s, and Chunmoos,” Błaszczak told Defense News in a statement. “My intention was also – and this was included in the framework agreements – that Korean tanks and howitzers should ultimately be produced in Poland.”

Calling the deals “an extraordinary opportunity,” Błaszczak took a swing at his successor at the Ministry of Defence, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, saying the department had yet to articulate “clear declarations” in favor of additional arms purchases.

Earlier this week, Kosiniak-Kamysz, who is also the deputy prime minister, told local broadcaster Polsat News “the contracts which were concluded, under which gear is being delivered to Poland, yes, they will be continued.”

The statement leaves room for forgoing additional weapons buys that were to financed by a second, larger loan issues by the Asian country.

Upon taking office in December, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced there was a “problem” with the loan terms, as decision-makers started to scrutinize the preceding Cabinet’s military acquisitions.

At the same time, South Korean officials are bracing for the April 10 parliamentary election, and the campaign is delaying legislative work necessary for the provision of a second loan to Warsaw, local observers say.