South Korea’s defense procurement agency, Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), announced last week that an unknown number of Indonesian engineers are under investigation for allegedly attempting to steal technologies related to the KF-21 fighter jet. This incident raises critical concerns about the security of South Korea’s military technologies, as well as the stability of its diplomatic relations with Indonesia, a key defense and trade partner.

The KF-21 Boramae project is central to South Korea’s strategy to upgrade its air force capabilities, aiming to replace its aging F-4 and F-5 jets with advanced, domestically-produced 4.5-generation fighters.