US Rejects F-35 Technology Transfer To South Korea Citing Security Concerns

US has denied permission to transfer the F-35 fighter jet technology to Korean Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA).

"The US government rejected transferring the technologies for security reasons," an official from the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said Tuesday.

The US rejected the export of four technologies, including the Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar system, among 25 core technologies that were to have been transferred, New Politics Alliance for Democracy Rep. Ahn Gyu-baek said in KBS radio.

The South Korean military had considered loading the AESA radar, which has more detecting capability for the targets than existing radars, on South Korean fighter jets.

Following the rejection from the US, the agency is pursuing both domestic development as well as international cooperation to develop new technologies, Minister Chang Myoung-jin of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said at a parliamentary audit on Thursday.

The DAPA is considering to independently develop the AESA radar and infrared search technologies and jointly develop comprehensive technologies for electromagnetic interference equipment with a European corporation.

Although Lockheed didn't fulfill its contract terms, there is no way to impose sanctions as the US government rejected the deal, A DAPA official said.