"The Libyan delegation apparently sought cooperation with Korea in the
defense industry," an industry source in Seoul said. "I understand that
since it normalized relations with the United States, Libya has been seeking
to purchase weapons from various countries."
Industry sources said Libya was briefed on South Korea's new XK-2 main
battle tank, KT-1 basic trainer, and T-50 advanced jet trainer. They said
Libya has sought Western, particularly U.S.-origin platforms, but was
prevented from direct military purchases from Washington.
The South Korean Defense Ministry said the Libyan delegation was in
Seoul from March 20 to March 27. In 1999, Libya and South Korea, which
maintained low-level military ties since 1984, signed an accord for science
and technology cooperation.
"We reckon that the Libyan delegation knew about the competitiveness of
our defense goods compared with those of other advanced countries while
visiting defense products manufacturers," another industry source said. "The
Libyan delegation initially appeared to think that South Korea is the
only country that makes electronic products."
