The head of South Korea’s defense procurement agency visited Romania to support defense exports and attended a groundbreaking ceremony for a plant to produce K9 self-propelled howitzers.

The Defense Acquisition Program Administration(DAPA) said Wednesday that DAPA Minister Lee Yong-cheol took part in the groundbreaking ceremony for Hanwha Aerospace’s K9 production facility in Romania's Dâmbovița County.

The ceremony marked the start of construction of the production facility under a July 2024 contract between Hanwha and the Romanian government.

During his two-day visit to the European country, Lee met with senior Romanian officials, including the defense and economy ministers, to discuss bilateral defense industry cooperation.

Romania is advancing large-scale procurement projects to modernize its armored forces.

South Korea's Hanwha Aerospace and Hyundai Rotem are seeking contracts for procurement programs, including infantry fighting vehicles and next-generation tanks.