On the outskirts of an industrial city in South Korea, workers at a vast arms factory were conducting final-stage testing of a newly built surface-to-air defense system that could eventually make its way to Ukraine.

Long-standing domestic policy prohibits Seoul from sending weapons to active conflict zones, but South Korea has warned it could change course since its spy agency accused the nuclear-armed North last month of sending thousands of troops to help Moscow fight Kiev.

If so, top of the list for Ukraine would likely be the “Cheongung” – or Sky Arrow – air defense system, a domestically produced Iron Dome-style interceptor shield that AFP saw during an exclusive tour of the Hanwha Aerospace factory on Thursday. In the southern city of Changwon.

As Beethoven’s Fur Elise melody was played over and over again on the in-house loudspeaker, experienced welders worked on huge cylinders that would form part of the starting system, which is defensive in nature – but Hanwha also produces an attack-oriented version.

“The Cheongung system can be considered similar to the US Patriot missile system,” said Jung Sung-young, a senior executive at Hanwha Aerospace, South Korea’s largest defense contractor.

Ukraine relies on Western air defense systems, especially Patriots, to protect itself from Russian missile attacks and has requested more deliveries.

Washington announced in June that it would prioritize deliveries to Kiev before other countries placing orders.

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But experts say it could make a big difference if South Korea, which is technically at war with the nuclear-armed North and continues to produce weapons that have long been ignored by Western arms industries, gets involved.

“As a divided nation, we have systematically established and implemented standards at the national level, from the development of these weapons systems to quality control,” Jung said.

“The quality, capacity and production supply chain of our products are competitive enough compared to other countries,” he said.

President Yoon Suk Yeol said earlier this month that whether and how South Korea would help Ukraine depends directly on “North Korea’s level of involvement,” adding that Seoul “does not rule out the possibility of providing weapons.”

Yoon said that if South Korea were to supply weapons, the first batch would be defensive in nature.

– Ready for battle –

Kiev urgently needs more air defense to fend off constant missile bombardment targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and civilian areas, Han Kwon-hee of the Korean Defense Industry Association told AFP.

“Counter-strikes require stability in rear areas, so Kiev launched drone strikes inside Russia, including Moscow,” Khan said. he said.

“They will help Ukraine stop Russia’s attacks by intercepting drones and missiles flying deep into its territory,” he said; This, along with the recent move by the United States to allow the use of long-range American missiles against targets inside Russia, is a major boost for Kiev.

The South has been war-ready since its 1950-53 war with the North ended in a ceasefire, and Hanwha Aerospace, South Korea’s largest defense contractor, was once viewed by analysts as a laggard for its focus on land weapons. high demand.

AFP saw a wide range of weapons moving along assembly lines at the company’s sprawling Changwon factory, from infantry armored vehicles to surface-to-air missile systems designed to intercept incoming missiles.

Increasing geopolitical tensions in Europe greatly benefited the South Korean company, which increased its annual operating profit by more than 450 percent to $343.3 million in the last quarter.

It signed major arms deals with countries such as Poland and Romania, including the export of K9 Howitzers and Chunmoo missile systems.

– Weapons export –

Industry research shows that Seoul has long aimed to join the world’s largest arms exporters, becoming the fourth largest after the United States, Russia and France. It shows that this is now possible.

It had already sold 155 mm artillery shells to Washington; but an “end user” agreement existed; This meant that the army that would use the munitions would be the United States.

Experts said this allowed the United States to supply Kiev with its own bullets.

Hanwha’s other weapons proposal that could change the balance of the war in Ukraine is the Chunmoo guided missile system, experts said.

“With a maximum range of 290 km (180 miles), Chunmoo can hit targets in Pyongyang if launched from the border region in the South,” said Choi Gi-il, professor of military studies at Sangji University.

“What Ukraine urgently needs to turn the war in its favor are offensive weapons that can cause serious damage to the enemy, such as Chunmoo missiles and K9 howitzers,” Choi said. he added.

“If North Korea’s direct involvement in the war increases, Seoul may consider sending lethal weapons as well as defensive weapons.”