President Moon Jae-in says building a strong defense is always aimed at ensuring peace.

At the opening event of the Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition(ADEX) on Wednesday, Moon said the country will work to ensure peace by building a smart and strong military based on state-of-the-art technology.

Moon flew into the defense exhibition in a domestically built FA-50 fighter jet. His first attendance at the biennial event in four years comes as the nation seeks to foster its domestic defense and aerospace industries. 

The president said the country will develop the defense industry as a key growth engine, pledging to raise budgets to strengthen military power by over 80 percent by 2026 and to quadruple support to localize related parts.

He did not make mention of North Korea's submarine-launched ballistic missile(SLBM) the day before, which it confirmed earlier in the day.

Ahead of the planned launch of the South Korean rocket Nuri on Thursday, the president promised to direct resources toward securing key technologies and fostering the private sector.