The Daewoo Telecom K7 is a
9×19mm Parabellum
The 9×19mm Parabellum (also known as 9mm Luger, 9mm NATO or simply 9mm) is a Rim (firearms)#Rimless, rimless, Centerfire ammunition, centerfire, tapered cartridge (firearms), firearms cartridge.
Originally designed by Austrian firearm designer ...
submachine gun
A submachine gun (SMG) is a magazine (firearms), magazine-fed automatic firearm, automatic carbine designed to fire handgun cartridges. The term "submachine gun" was coined by John T. Thompson, the inventor of the Thompson submachine gun, to descri ...
with an integral suppressor used by the
Republic of Korea Armed Forces
The Republic of Korea Armed Forces (), also known as the ROK Armed Forces, are the armed forces of South Korea. The ROK Armed Forces is one of the largest and most powerful standing armed forces in the world with a reported personnel strength o ...
. It is based on the
Daewoo K1A assault rifle, but is simplified by utilizing a blowback action rather than the gas impingement system of its parent firearm.
It was first displayed outside of Korea in the
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...
at the
IDEX (International Defence Exhibition) 2003 convention.
The K7 is currently manufactured by SNT Motiv.
History

Despite the fact that the
H&K MP5SD6 was already in service with the
Republic of Korea Armed Forces
The Republic of Korea Armed Forces (), also known as the ROK Armed Forces, are the armed forces of South Korea. The ROK Armed Forces is one of the largest and most powerful standing armed forces in the world with a reported personnel strength o ...
by the time the K7 reached production status, most of the special forces relied on unconventional weapons during covert operations due to high price of imported and domestically produced SMGs. Due to the substantial cost of the importation and production of such weapons, the
Republic of Korea Army Special Warfare Command
The Republic of Korea Army Special Warfare Command (ROK-SWC; ), also known as the Republic of Korea Army Special Forces "Black Berets" (ROK Special Forces), is a strategic-level military command of the Republic of Korea Army responsible for the ...
requested the development of an integrally suppressed submachine gun that would be less expensive to import or manufacture than the MP5SD6.
The
Defense Agency for Technology and Quality
Defense or defence may refer to:
Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups
* Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare
* Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks
* Defense indust ...
(DTaQ), a part of the
Agency for Defense Development
The Agency for Defense Development (ADD, ) is the South Korean government agency for research and development in defense technology, funded by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA). It was established in August 1970 under the ban ...
(ADD), and Daewoo Telecom (now
SNT Motiv
SNT Motiv Co., Ltd. () is a South Korean firearms and auto parts manufacturer founded in 1981. Its firearms equip most frontline units of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces.
History
Daewoo Precision Industries Co., Ltd was established in Decembe ...
), a subbranch of Daewoo Group, officially started development in April 1998, finishing the project in December 2000.
In 2020,
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
revealed an indigenous submachine gun that has the design based on the K7. It was also seen at the Victory Day National Arms Exhibition on May 24, 2021, with suppressed and non-suppressed versions.
Later, Iranian President
Ebrahim Raisi
Ebrahim Raisolsadati (14 December 1960 – 19 May 2024), better known as Ebrahim Raisi, was an Iranian politician who served as the eighth president of Iran from 2021 until 2024 Varzaqan helicopter crash, his death in a helicopter crash in 202 ...
's bodyguard, who attended a martyr's celebration on 20 March 2023, was seen carrying a K7.
According to a report by the
Korea Customs Service
The Korea Customs Service (KCS; ) was established in 1970 and is one of tax organizations in South Korea and is run under the Ministry of Economy and Finance. The headquarters is in Seo District, Daejeon.
See also
* Port security
* National ...
(KCS) in March 2024, a former SNT employee was caught exporting some 480,000 gun parts and production equipment worth
₩
The won sign , is a currency symbol. It represents the South Korean won, the North Korean won and, unofficially, the old Korean Empire won, Korean won.
Appearance
Its appearance is "W" (the first letter of "Won") with a horizontal strike ...
26.6 billion (
$19.7 million) illegally copied from September 2019 to March 2023 to a state-owned defense contractor in the
Middle Eastern
The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq.
The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...
country. It is believed that illegally copied K7s and production equipment were introduced to Iran during this period, even though the
South Korean government
The government of South Korea () is the national government of the Republic of Korea, created by the Constitution of South Korea as the executive, legislative and judicial authority of the republic. The president acts as the head of state and ...
prohibits arms exports to Iran in principle.
Design
The K7 does not use the direct gas impingement system of the K1A.
Instead, the K7 utilizes a simple blow-back system.
The bolt reciprocates while the gun is being fired and locks back when the magazines are completely exhausted. A 30-round vertical box magazine is used and it can also use the 30-round magazines taken from the
IMI Uzi or 32-round magazines from the
Beretta Model 12
The Beretta M12 (Model 12) is a 9×19mm Parabellum caliber submachine gun designed by Beretta. Production started in 1959, the first users were the Italian Carabinieri, Italian State Police and the Guardia di Finanza, though in limited numbers; it ...
.
As the magazine well of the K1A was retained, there are internal accommodations for the smaller 9 mm magazine. There are 3 firing modes, single shot, a 3-round burst and fully automatic.
However, prolonged fully automatic fire has been shown to damage and degrade the baffles within the integral suppressor. As a result of the light bolt, a cyclic rate of fire of 1,050–1,250 rounds per minute is achieved.
An integral suppressor is featured on the K7, which leaves users the option to use standard 9mm Parabellum ammo instead of using subsonic ammo.
The K7's upper receiver is based on that of the K2, albeit slightly modified.
The hammer/fire control unit and telescopic stock are also derived from those of the K1.
It can outfitted with a PK Designlab-made weaponlight with built-in picatinny railing. As the K7 was developed from the
Daewoo K1A, it features parts that can be interchanged with those of the K1 and vice versa.
Suppressor
The suppressor reduces the pressure of the gas produced during discharge, and by extension, reduces the amount of noise generated. In addition, the suppressor significantly distorts the sound of the gunshot so that it is very difficult to pinpoint the location of the shooter. Tests on precision noise measuring equipment 3 meters away showed that firing in semi-auto mode had an average noise of 93.5 dB with the suppressor installed and 117 dB with the suppressor removed.
According to specifications, the average durability of the suppressor is known to be 2,000 shots, but the manufacturer's own test showed that even if it fired up to 6,000 shots, there was no deterioration in performance. It was also reported that no deterioration in the performance of the suppressor was found in the K7 used by the South Korean military for 17 years.
Users
*: Used by
SWADS
The Special Warfare Diving and Salvage (SWADS) () is an elite special operational unit of the Bangladesh Navy. Members are professional soldiers and are recruited through the Bangladesh Navy. The SWADS is organized, trained and equipped along ...
.
*: ''
Komando Pasukan Katak'' (Kopaska) tactical diver group and ''
Komando Pasukan Khusus
The Kopassus (, Special Forces Command) is an Indonesian Army (TNI-AD) special forces group that conducts special operations missions for the Indonesian government, such as direct action, unconventional warfare, sabotage, counter-insurgency, ...
'' (Kopassus) special forces group.
As of 2019, a SIPRI small arms report indicates around 1,786 K7s were transferred to Indonesia.
As of 2021, Indonesia operates 6 times more than South Korean inventory.
*: An unknown number of K7 and XK9 are used in Iran.
The K7 is also used as a standard firearm for Iranian presidential guards.
*: Used by
Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary
The Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary (RPNGC) is a national police force with jurisdiction throughout Papua New Guinea. History
The RPNGC was formed from two predecessor bodies that existed prior to the independence of Papua New Guinea. The Roya ...
.
*: Used by
ROKASWC and
ROKNSWF.
Trial use
*: A 2019 SIPRI small arms report indicate that two K7s were transferred to Thailand.
See also
*
Daewoo Precision Industries K1
The Daewoo Precision Industries K1/K1A is a South Korean selective-fire assault rifle developed by Agency for Defense Development (ADD) and manufactured by SNT Motiv, Daewoo Precision Industries (now SNT Motiv) and Dasan Machineries (since 2016). ...
*
S&T Daewoo XK9
References
Bibliography
*
External links
S&T Daewoo Homepage
{{Modern South Korean Infantry Weapons
9mm Parabellum submachine guns
Post–Cold War weapons of South Korea
Submachine guns of South Korea
Silenced firearms
Military equipment introduced in the 2000s
ADD research and development projects