The nation’s arms procurement agency’s decision to have the country’s two largest shipbuilders compete for a next-generation destroyer project is drawing mixed responses. HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, which had expected to win the project through a sole-source contract, expressed disappointment, while Hanwha Ocean welcomed the opportunity. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said Monday that the Defense Project Promotion Committee under the Minister of National Defense approved a plan to select a contractor through a competitive bidding process for the detailed design and construction of the lead vessel of the Korean Next-Generation Destroyer (KDDX) project. The final contractor is expected to be chosen late next year, extending a process that had already been delayed for two years. For HD Hyundai, the prolonged selection process is disadvantageous, as the company lost points under a security penalty system used in bid evaluations, with the demerit remaining in effect until next November. The penalty followed court rulings in 2023 that confirmed HD Hyundai employe