KD
KDReview

Research database

Korean Defense Industry Data Sources

Use this page as the sourcing backbone for Korean arms exports, product profiles, procurement signals, and industry context. The best database is not one source: SIPRI is strongest for historical transfers, while Korean official sources are better for products, tenders, and policy.

Best transfer database

SIPRI Arms Transfers

Use SIPRI to validate major arms transfers and buyer-recipient history for Korean systems. It is the most useful public baseline for long-term export analysis.

Best Korean product catalog

KODITS and Defense-Korea

Use these to discover Korean defense companies, product categories, and buyer-facing product descriptions before checking each claim against primary sources.

Best primary authority

DAPA and D2B

Use DAPA and D2B for acquisition policy, procurement announcements, bid results, and official confirmation of programs that later become export opportunities.

Source Directory

Each source is tagged by research role, coverage, limitations, and how KDReview should use it.

7 sources tracked

SIPRI Arms Transfers Database

Stockholm International Peace Research Institute

Reference database
major arms transfers supplier-recipient history long-term export trends
Coverage
Open-source transfer records for major conventional weapons, useful for validating Korean export recipients and delivery history.
Update cadence
Annual; current public release covers 1950-2025 transfers
Limitations
Uses SIPRI trend-indicator values rather than contract prices, and generally excludes small arms, services, ammunition, and many components.
Recommended KDReview use
Use as the baseline historical transfer database behind contract profiles, country pages, and export-trend charts.
Open source

DAPA

Defense Acquisition Program Administration

Primary source
official acquisition policy program announcements offset policy bid links
Coverage
Official Korean defense acquisition authority with English and Korean pages for acquisition procedures, offset programs, bid announcements, and defense-products links.
Update cadence
Continuous official notices and policy updates
Limitations
English pages are selective; the Korean site is richer and should be checked for press releases and public-data notices.
Recommended KDReview use
Use for primary-source confirmation before publishing policy, procurement, or export-support claims.
Open source

KODITS Korean Defense Products Guide

KOTRA Korea Defense Industry Trade Support Center

Official source
export catalog company discovery product taxonomy buyer-facing descriptions
Coverage
Official export-promotion guide and product catalog access point for Korean defense companies and products.
Update cadence
Guide releases and KODITS site updates
Limitations
Marketing-oriented descriptions need cross-checking against contracts, manufacturer pages, and official procurement notices.
Recommended KDReview use
Use to expand product/company coverage and normalize product categories for the KDReview weapons database.
Open source

Defense-Korea.com

KDIA with DAPA

Official source
company directory product directory manufacturer contact paths
Coverage
Korean defense product portal covering categories such as ammunition, C4ISR, maritime systems, small arms, combat vehicles, space, missile, and air defense.
Update cadence
Directory updates vary by company
Limitations
Directory pages can be stale and should not be treated as proof of active production or export without corroboration.
Recommended KDReview use
Use as a discovery layer for Korean arms manufacturers, then verify each product through manufacturer and DAPA/KODITS sources.
Open source

D2B Defense E-Procurement

Republic of Korea defense procurement system

Primary source
bid announcements bid results foreign-purchase notices domestic procurement signals
Coverage
Procurement portal linked from DAPA for bid announcements and bid results, including foreign-purchase information.
Update cadence
Continuous tender updates
Limitations
Procurement notices are operational and may require Korean-language search terms, account access, or manual interpretation.
Recommended KDReview use
Use to identify early domestic procurement and modification signals before they become export-facing news.
Open source

DTaQ

Defense Agency for Technology and Quality

Primary source
quality assurance munitions standards context export quality support technology planning
Coverage
Official quality and technology agency covering military-supplies quality management from R&D through mass production and operations.
Update cadence
Agency updates and program notices
Limitations
Not a contract database; use it for quality, certification, and industrial-base context rather than deal values.
Recommended KDReview use
Use as supporting context on reliability, export quality assurance, and Korean defense industrial processes.
Open source

KDIA Defense Statistics System

Korea Defense Industry Association

Official source
industry statistics member-company context sector-level Korean defense data
Coverage
Korean-language defense statistics portal run by the Korea Defense Industry Association.
Update cadence
Association statistics updates
Limitations
Access and export options may vary; figures should be cited with date, table name, and original Korean label.
Recommended KDReview use
Use for industry-size and member-company statistics after manual verification of the relevant table.
Open source

Recommended Data Workflow

  1. 1. Discover: start with KODITS, Defense-Korea, DAPA notices, and company pages.
  2. 2. Verify: confirm exports with SIPRI, official press releases, D2B/DAPA records, and buyer-country ministries.
  3. 3. Normalize: map products to KDReview categories, seller companies, buyer countries, values, dates, and status.
  4. 4. Cite: store source name, URL, publication date, access date, and confidence level for every contract and product claim.

Priority Integrations

DAPA

Use for primary-source confirmation before publishing policy, procurement, or export-support claims.

D2B Defense E-Procurement

Use to identify early domestic procurement and modification signals before they become export-facing news.

DTaQ

Use as supporting context on reliability, export quality assurance, and Korean defense industrial processes.

KODITS Korean Defense Products Guide

Use to expand product/company coverage and normalize product categories for the KDReview weapons database.

Defense-Korea.com

Use as a discovery layer for Korean arms manufacturers, then verify each product through manufacturer and DAPA/KODITS sources.