Agency for Defense Development
In 1980s, the ROK Armed Forces came in need of new artillery system to contest North Korean equipment. The armed forces operated M107 self-propelled gun and K55 self-propelled howitzer; however, they had shorter firing range compared to M-1978 Koksan and were outnumbered by various North Korean artillery. With the success of designing and manufacturing KH-178 and KH-179 towed artillery, and experience gained by license producing K55 (KM109A2), the Ministry of Defense ordered to develop new system that has longer firing range, faster firing rate, and high mobility. The development started in 1989 and was led by the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) and Samsung Aerospace Industries (now Hanwha Defense).