Kim Seung-youn Conducts On-Site Management at Hanwha Systems: "AI Is Key to Hanwha's Defense Competitiveness"

[Financial News] Hanwha Group Chairman Kim Seung-youn visited Hanwha Systems' Gumi Plant to inspect AI-based defense technologies and production operations. It was his second on-site management visit of the year, following the Jeju Space Center, and he once again underscored the importance of AI and systems integration capabilities in the group's defense business.
Hanwha Group said Kim visited Hanwha Systems' Gumi Plant in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, on the 22nd, received a briefing on the business, and toured major defense product production and testing facilities. He was accompanied by Hanwha Group Senior Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan and Hanwha Systems CEO Yang Ki-won.
Kim inspected the assembly and testing of the multifunction radar (MFR), a key sensor of the Cheongung-II medium-range surface-to-air guided weapon system. He also reviewed Hanwha Systems' AI-based integrated air defense system under development. Kim then visited a large near-field test range used to measure radar antenna performance, where he checked the testing and validation status of the Cheongung multifunction radar and the KF-21 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar.
At a luncheon with employees, Kim identified AI as the core competitive advantage of the group's future defense business. He said, "The key factor determining the competitiveness of Hanwha Group's defense business is AI, and Hanwha Systems plays a central role in that effort." He emphasized, "By connecting the core land, sea, air and space capabilities built by Hanwha Aerospace and Hanwha Ocean through AI command-and-control systems, Hanwha Systems is a core pillar responsible for the brain and neural network of Hanwha's defense business."
Safety at production sites was another key message. Kim said, "Major achievements begin with safety. There is no future without safety," urging the company to look after the safety of partner companies as well as its employees.
Hanwha Systems' Gumi Plant is a development and production hub for defense electronics, including radars, electro-optical equipment and naval combat systems. The company completed a new plant spanning 89,000 square meters in December last year after investing about 280 billion won. The facility is more than twice the size of the previous plant and includes a cleanroom of about 1,500 pyeong, the largest in South Korea's defense industry, along with production and testing facilities.
The multifunction radars and naval combat systems produced at the Gumi Plant are among Hanwha Systems' key exports. The Cheongung-II multifunction radar has been supplied to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia and Iraq, while the naval combat system developed with South Korean technology has been supplied to 15 Philippine Navy vessels, helping the company expand its share of the global market.
Kim's visit was his second on-site management visit of the year, following his trip to the Jeju Space Center in January. During the earlier visit, he inspected the technological competitiveness of the space business; this time, he directly reviewed Hanwha's defense electronics and AI-based systems integration capabilities.
[email protected] Jung Won-il Reporter