ADD

Based in Yuseong District, Daejeon, ADD develops South Korea's weapons and hands production to industry, with its funding routed through the Defense Acquisition Program Administration. It was founded on 6 August 1970 to cut the country's Reliance on American weapons. Its record includes the Hyunmoo missile family, the Cheongung-II air-defence missile, the Cheongwang anti-drone laser, in service since the end of 2024, and the KUS-FS, which it introduced as South Korea's first medium-altitude long-endurance drone.

ADD is a named contractor, with LIG Nex1 and Hanwha Aerospace, on LAMD, the low-altitude missile defence layer meant to stop North Korean long-range artillery. The programme now carries a budget of about 842bn won and is due to deploy from 2029. By the end of 2026 the agency is also due to pick a contractor for the KF-21 fighter's 1.9 trillion won long-range air-to-air missile, contested by a Hanwha Aerospace and KAI TEAM and a Hyundai Rotem and LIG TEAM.

On 25 August 2026 both medium-sized suicide drones launched from the ship ROKS Marado crashed within seconds; ADD traced the failure to a misaligned door on the lower launch tube. Three days later the ministry removed Lee, a retired air force lieutenant general in POST since May 2024, citing the management act rather than the trial.