S. Korea still in negotiations with Egypt to sell K-9 self-propelled howitzers

CAIRO, Jan. 21 (Yonhap) -- South Korea is still in negotiations with Egypt to K-9 self-propelled howitzers, though the two countries stopped short of signing a deal during President Moon Jae-in's visit to Cairo, a senior government official said Friday.

Hopes for a deal were raised after President Moon Jae-in vowed Thursday to make joint efforts with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi for the conclusion of negotiations for a deal to sell Seoul's K-9 howitzers to Egypt.

The official, who is accompanying Moon on the trip, declined to specify key sticking points of the negotiations, only saying there are differences between Seoul and Cairo over technology transfer and financing.

Moon instructed Seoul's negotiating team not to overdo it to finalize a deal during the trip, the official said.

After the Thursday summit, Moon said he and the Egyptian president agreed that a deal on K-9 howitzers would be "an achievement of defense cooperation based on mutual trust between the two nations" and "K9 self-propelled artillery greatly contributes to enhancing the Egyptian military's power."

If a deal is struck, it would mark the first sale of the K-9 howitzers to an African country. South Korea has exported the K-9 Thunder howitzers to Turkey, Poland, India, Norway, Finland, Estonia and Australia.

kdh@yna.co.kr
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