Lee hails homegrown KF-21 fighter jets as leap forward into world's top 4 defense powerhouse

▲ President Lee Jae Myung (C) salutes the national flag during a ceremony marking the rollout of the first mass-produced KF-21 fighter jets at the Korea Aerospace Industries headquarters in Sacheon, 296 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on March 25, 2026. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)

▲ President Lee Jae Myung delivers a speech at a ceremony marking the rollout of the first mass-produced KF-21 fighter jets at the Korea Aerospace Industries headquarters in Sacheon, 296 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on March 25, 2026. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)

Lee-fighter jets

Lee hails homegrown KF-21 fighter jets as leap forward into world's top 4 defense powerhouse

By Yi Wonju

SEOUL, March 25 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung on Wednesday touted the country's first mass-produced homegrown KF-21 fighter jets as a symbol that embodies "aspirations for self-reliant defense," vowing to make South Korea one of the world's top four defense powers.

Speaking at a ceremony for the first delivery of the fighter jets, which came after years of development and prototype testing, Lee also pledged to invest more in high-end aircraft technologies.

"South Korea has finally secured weapons to protect peace with its own technology not only on land and sea but also in the air," Lee said during the ceremony, held at the Korea Aerospace Industries headquarters in Sacheon, 296 kilometers southeast of Seoul.

"The KF-21 fighter jets, designed with our own technology and built with our own hands, are finally being rolled out," he added. "This fighter jet embodies the fervent aspirations for self-reliant defense that we have dreamed of for more than half a century."

The government will build on the success of the KF-21 jets to advance into the world's top four defense powers, he said.

Lee also hailed the country's K9 self-propelled howitzers and Cheongung surface-to-air missiles as having demonstrated the world-class defense capabilities.

South Korea launched the KF-21 development program in 2015 to acquire a homegrown supersonic fighter to replace the Air Force's aging fleet of U.S.-made F-4 and F-5 jets.

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