On Friday, June 6, 2025, the South Korean daily Chosun Ilbo reported that Hyundai Rotem is finalizing negotiations with the Polish Armaments Group (PGZ), so that by the end of June this year, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) of the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of Korea can sign a second agreement for 180 K2GF/PL tanks along with 81 accompanying vehicles with the State Treasury – Armaments Agency of the Polish Ministry of National Defence.
Photos: Hyunmin Park, MILMAG
According to Chosun Ilbo journalists, the Korean tank manufacturer has reportedly completed the main phase of negotiations with the Polish side regarding the number of vehicles and is now coordinating details to reach a final agreement, such as component production. All of this is aimed at meeting the requirement set by the DAPA office, which seeks to finalize the deal by the end of this month.
The second agreement is estimated at 8.2 trillion KRW / 6 billion USD (22.67 billion PLN). Interestingly, within the total of 180 tanks, more K2GF (Gap Filler) units—already ordered under the first agreement (119 out of 180 delivered)—are expected than the Polish-adapted K2PL variants, although no specific proportions have been disclosed. Separately, 81 support vehicles based on the K2 chassis are to be contracted, including technical recovery vehicles, assault bridges, and combat engineering tanks.
As the article further explains, Hyundai Rotem and DAPA initially did not include the support vehicles in the second contract, as they had been promoted as a separate program. However, they were reportedly added due to factors such as the lack of domestic production capabilities in Poland.
Additionally, the second agreement is expected to include technology transfer for local production and the establishment of a Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul (MRO) center for K2 tanks and support vehicles—nearly doubling the contract’s total value.
Mock-ups of support vehicles based on the K2 platform
If the contract is signed as expected by DAPA, it will be the largest deal of the year for the South Korean defense industry. A DAPA official told Chosun Ilbo, “The final contract amount will vary depending on how the details are coordinated.”
Originally, the second agreement was scheduled to be concluded last year, but delays were caused by factors such as securing financing for the next loan tranche, followed by prolonged negotiations over the price and number of tanks.
As for the support vehicles based on the K2 platform, negotiations are ongoing regarding which country will manufacture the specialized equipment for each variant, which will then be integrated into the vehicles.
The newspaper also speculates whether members of the new government in Seoul will attend the signing ceremony of the second agreement, noting that the Polish side is said to have requested the presence of a high-ranking official, given reported domestic opposition in Poland to further Korean defense contracts. The first contract signing ceremony was attended only by Hyundai Rotem CEO Lee Yong-bae.
It is worth adding that, according to South Korean reports from March 9 of this year, the second agreement was initially expected to be signed as early as April — which did not happen. In May, Paweł Bejda, Secretary of State at the Ministry of National Defence, responsible for overseeing the technical modernization of the Polish Armed Forces, stated that PGZ was already finalizing negotiations with Hyundai Rotem — which aligns with today’s media reports. All of this falls under the framework agreement for a total of 1,000 K2GF/PL tanks.
UPDATE
On Tuesday, June 10, the South Korean news agency Yonhap, citing government sources, also confirmed that the contract is planned to be signed at the end of June, with the ceremony to take place in Poland. It was added that 117 K2 tanks will be produced at Hyundai Rotem’s facilities in Korea, while the remaining 63 will be manufactured in Poland.
UPDATE 2
In response to questions from the MILMAG Portal Editors, on June 13, the Social Communication Department of the Armaments Agency informed that the second executive agreement for the delivery of K2 tanks could be signed after the terms of the agreement have been negotiated and accepted by the parties to the contract. Currently, the negotiations have not been formally concluded.
