User blog comment:WarKnight 1/Aviation News Number 3: F-X phase 3 in South Korea/@comment-99.247.228.141-20120209010005

exporting military equipment (especially things like fighter jets which are always at the forefront of technological development and are one of the cogs behind force projection) is a political move. nobody would bat an eyelash if the US pressured (yes, coerced; leaked cables have proved that the US trains its personnel to be ruthless in selling contracts for F-35's) soko into buying the much more costly F-35 over the F-15 by playing hardball with export licenses and transfer of technology.

regardless, the gripen/eurofighter don't stand a chance. it's either the F-15 or the F-35; the US arms industry pretty much has a hegemony over south korea. unfortunate as it is, anyone who believes that a government will buy into a billion-dollar arms contract with zero political motive is naive.