70% of South Korea's K2 rifles past service life despite K-defense export boom

Even as South Korean-made weapons systems such as the K9 self-propelled howitzer and K2 main battle tank rack up major export deals on the global market, the personal firearms carried by South Korean troops are in a serious state of deterioration, newly released data shows.

According to data on K2 rifle holdings by service branch that People Power Party lawmaker Yoo Yong-won's office obtained from the Ministry of National Defense and released Monday, about 595,000 of the approximately 843,000 K2 rifles in the military inventory have exceeded their 25-year service life — roughly 70 percent of the total.

The Marine Corps had the worst aging rate among the service branches. About 96 percent of its roughly 27,000 rifles — some 26,000 weapons — have surpassed their service life. The Navy followed, with about 94 percent of its roughly 18,000 rifles past the threshold, while the Air Force stood at about 72 percent of roughly 50,000 rifles and the Army at about 69 percent of its roughly 748,000.

Distribution of the upgraded K2C1 variant has also been slow. The K2C1, which can be fitted with optical sights, target designators and other accessories, accounts for about 173,200 rifles — roughly 20 percent of the total K2 inventory. By branch, the Army operates about 110,200, the Air Force about 40,000, the Marine Corps about 16,000 and the Navy about 7,000.

Accessory equipment is also in short supply. The military holds a total of about 134,000 optical sights, with roughly 124,000 concentrated in the Army. The Navy and Air Force each have about 1,000, while the Marine Corps has only about 8,000.

Aging among the K5 pistol, a secondary sidearm, was also flagged as a concern. About 77 percent of the Air Force's 5,428 pistols — 4,179 weapons — have exceeded their service life, along with about 40 percent in the Marine Corps, about 22 percent in the Army and about 8 percent in the Navy.

Major military powers have been accelerating the rollout of next-generation small arms equipped with optical sights and AI-based auto-targeting scopes, pursuing rifle modernization that accounts for counter-drone warfare. By contrast, the K2 rifle — the South Korean military's primary personal weapon since its introduction in 1985 — has been in service for nearly 40 years, and critics say it is struggling to meet the demands of the modern battlefield.

"K-defense is raising South Korea's global standing with major export achievements, but it is deeply regrettable and a serious problem that the personal firearms our troops actually carry remain at the level of 40 years ago," lawmaker Yoo said.

He added that personal firearms must also evolve to meet the demands of future battlefields, and called on the military to swiftly draw up a comprehensive plan for small arms modernization — including the phased replacement of aging K2 rifles and expanded distribution of the K2C1.