Kor Type 88

The K1, often known as the Type 88 or 88 Tank, was South Korea's first major domestic main battle tank program. Hyundai Precision integrated the vehicle with major foreign technical assistance and components, creating a tank suited to Korean terrain and ROK Army requirements.

The K1 uses a low-profile hull, 105 mm gun, composite armor, modern fire control for its era, and suspension suited to Korea's mountainous terrain. It resembles a smaller Abrams because of US design influence, but it was tailored for South Korean operational conditions rather than simply copied.

K1 tanks formed the backbone of South Korean armored units before the K1A1 and K2 expanded capability. The type is strategically important because it marked South Korea's shift from dependence on older US-supplied tanks toward a domestic armored-vehicle industry.