In mid-January, it was reported that Morocco had begun evaluating a potential acquisition of up to 400 K2 Black Panther tanks from South Korea.
If procured, the K2 would offer a top-tier main battle tank (MBT) option and could support the phased replacement of legacy fleets such as the M48/M60 Patton series and Morocco’s T-72s, while helping rationalize a diverse armoured inventory alongside the Royal Moroccan Army’s Abrams tanks and its VT-1A/MBT-2000-family fleet.
This evaluation is reportedly part of broader interest in South Korean equipment, which was also promoted during the visit to Seoul in April 2025 by Morocco’s Minister of Industry and Trade Ryad Mezzour, with Morocco reportedly considering the purchase of KM-SAM air defence systems, K9 self-propelled howitzers and even KSS-III submarines.
Rabat and Seoul are involved in a fair number of deals including related technology sharing. In February 2025, South-Korea and Morocco signed a contract worth $1.5 billion for Hyundai Rotem to establish a train manufacturing plant able to supply 110 double-decker electric trains to the ONCF, Morocco’s railway operator.
Additionally, Hyundai Heavy Industries and Somagec were also in talks regarding cooperation for the Casablanca shipyard, facing other South-Korean companies like Hanwha Ocean or Samsung Heavy Industries. Various South-Korean companies are present in Morocco and invest in fields such as construction, infrastructure and manufacturing, especially in the automotive and consumer electronics business. Such context can prove to be a fertile ground for further cooperation including for defence, by creating a local support ecosystem if a defence export contract was formalised.
The two countries traded a volume of roughly $550mn in 2024 and in June 2024 began discussing the possibility of implementing a trade and investment legal framework in the form of an Economic Partnership Agreement. This eventuality was brought up again in 2025 when South Korean Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Dukgeun Ahn met with his counterpart Ryad Mezzour.
Morocco already has free trade agreements with both the European Union and the United States, such that the North African country could prove a very interesting destination for South-Korean investments.
Regarding the case of Western Sahara, South Korea supports a peaceful resolution to the conflict through dialogue. South Korea does not recognise the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, unlike North Korea, which has recognized it.
Written by ADIT – The Bulletin and republished with permission.
