KEXIM weighs sale of 26.4% KAI stake as aerospace revenue lags peers
The state policy lender opened talks on an 1.8 billion won study while Hanwha holds a rival 15.89% position in South Korea's sole military plane maker.
HLBy Hyun-jung Lee, Korea correspondent, shipbuilding and defense··Updated November 11, 2026·3 min read
ShareLinkedInXWhatsAppEmailWorkers in hard hats inspect and assemble a fighter jet inside a Korea Aerospace Industries manufacturing facility. (AI-generated image)
Export-Import Bank of Korea moved forward Nov. 11 with negotiations over an 1.8 billion won ($1.3 million) aerospace policy review, accelerating debate over the potential sale of its 26.41% stake in Korea Aerospace Industries.
The state lender has controlled 26.41% of the plane maker since 2016. Korea Aerospace Industries, known as KAI, is South Korea's sole developer and assembler of military airframes, including the KF-21 fighter jet and FA-50 light attack aircraft.
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Korea correspondent, shipbuilding and defense — Hyun-jung Lee reports on Korean yards, order books and naval programs, and on the defense export contracts that increasingly sit alongside them.
