The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced it held an offset trade briefing on Tuesday at the Daejeon Creative Economy Innovation Center to help domestic small and medium-sized enterprises expand overseas.
Offset trade refers to arrangements where technology transfers or reverse exports of domestic components are secured when purchasing foreign weapons systems.
Approximately 110 domestic SMEs, including defense innovation companies, attended the briefing. French aerospace and defense firm Thales Alenia Space presented potential offset trade projects and partnership opportunities in advanced sectors including satellite platforms, payloads, satellite communications, and ground systems.
DAPA also outlined its SME development policies, including the "Defense Innovation Company 100" program, which selects promising small and venture companies for R&D and export support, and the "GVC30" initiative, which helps domestic firms enter global supply chains.
"The space and satellite industry is a key future sector spanning both defense and civilian applications," said Choi Eun-shin, acting director general of DAPA's Defense Industry Promotion Bureau. "We will actively leverage the offset trade system to help domestic SMEs enter the global space and satellite supply chain."