South Korea has signed a billion dollar deal with Turkey to provide components for a Turkish built self propelled 155mm howitzer. Turkey originally wanted to buy PzH 2000 howitzer, but the Germans backed off because of popular displeasure in Germany for Turkey's armed struggle with Kurd rebels. South Koreans have long claimed an ethnic kinship with the Turks (which is probably true, but the scientific debate is not completely settled.) South Korea has slowly built up its arms industries over the last few decades. South Korea has built small arms, artillery, aircraft and tanks. It now wants to export either the weapons or, in the case of the Turk deal, technology and weapons components.