LIG Nex1 / LIG D&A (079550)

LIG Nex1 (079550), renamed LIG Defense & Aerospace (LIG D&A) in April 2026, is South Korea’s leading precision-guided weapons company. In ETFpedia it represents the Korea defense theme as the maker of the Cheongung-II air-defense missile, plus radar and C4ISR. Middle East export wins drove record FY2025 results and a backlog near ₩26 trillion.

Ticker079550
ExchangeKOSPI
SectorDefense · Guided Munitions, Missiles & C4ISR
CountrySouth Korea
WikidataQ6458668
Last updated2026-06-04
Financial snapshotas of2026-06-04

Next event:Next report · H1 2026 반기보고서 (semi-annual report), estimated · Estimated from Korea's 45-day semi-annual filing deadline; not company-confirmed. Last report: Q1 2026 분기보고서 filed 2026-05-15. (source)

Latest reported quarter:Q1 2026 (ended Mar 31, 2026) (reported2026-05-15)

LIG Nex1 posted Q1 2026 consolidated revenue of ₩1.17 trillion, up 29% year over year, with operating profit of ₩171.1 billion (+51%) and net profit of ₩135.4 billion (+63%) as Cheongung-II Middle East export deliveries scaled up.

Revenue₩1.17T+29%YoY
Operating profit₩171.1B+51%YoY
Net profit₩135.4B+63%YoY

Primary source

Revenue by segment

Precision-guided munitions & missilesLargest unit
Surveillance & reconnaissance (radar, EW)Radar/C4ISR
Maritime & underwater systemsNaval systems

Recent & upcoming events

  • · Record FY2025 results.Full-year consolidated revenue reached ₩4.31T (+31%), operating profit ₩319.4 billion (+43%), and net profit ₩237.5 billion (+12%), led by Cheongung-II export deliveries; backlog stood near ₩26.2 trillion. (source)
  • · Renamed LIG Defense & Aerospace (LIG D&A).At the April 2026 shareholder meeting the company changed its name from LIG Nex1 to LIG Defense & Aerospace, with the KOSPI ticker symbol updated from NEX1 to LIGDA. (source)

FY2025 and Q1 2026 figures are consolidated (CFS) per DART. The press-cited FY2025 operating profit of about ₩323 billion is parent-basis; the DART CFS figure is ₩319.4 billion. Backlog and export values are management/press estimates.

Figures are as of 2026-06-04 and reflect the most recent public filings/IR releases; they are updated after each earnings report.

What does LIG Nex1 do?

LIG Nex1, listed on the KOSPI under code 079550, is South Korea’s flagship precision-guided weapons house. Its core is guided munitions and missiles, led by the Cheongung-II (천궁-II, M-SAM II) medium-range surface-to-air missile, alongside the Raybolt anti-tank missile and various anti-ship and air-to-surface weapons. It also builds weapon-locating and AESA radar, electronic warfare suites, torpedoes and sonar, unmanned underwater vehicles, and C4ISR command systems, and it is moving into satellites and space. In April 2026 the company renamed itself LIG Defense & Aerospace (LIG D&A), with the KOSPI ticker symbol changing from NEX1 to LIGDA, to signal an expansion from defense materials into aerospace and space (The Elec, Mar 2026). The stock code 079550 is unchanged.

“LIG Nex1’s 2025 revenue rose 31.5% to ₩4.31 trillion, driven mainly by Cheongung-II export momentum, and its order backlog reached ₩26.23 trillion, of which roughly ₩14 trillion is export and ₩12 trillion domestic.”

(Asiae, Feb 13, 2026)

Why is LIG Nex1 a Korea defense company?

It is the missile and air-defense pillar of Korea’s defense exports. The Cheongung-II (M-SAM II) system has won back-to-back Middle East orders, including Saudi Arabia at about ₩4.3 trillion and Iraq at about ₩3.7 trillion, lifting the company’s Cheongung-II Middle East backlog past ₩10 trillion (Asiae, Feb 13, 2026). Precision-guided weapons are a deep, certification-heavy engineering discipline that takes years to build and qualify, the kind of physical-systems capability that anchors the Korea defense theme rather than a quickly copied software product.

What did LIG Nex1 report most recently?

In Q1 2026 (the quarter ended March 31, 2026), the company posted consolidated revenue of ₩1.17 trillion, up 29% year over year, with operating profit of ₩171.1 billion (+51%) and net profit of ₩135.4 billion (+63%) (DART Q1 2026 분기보고서). For full-year 2025 it reported revenue of ₩4.31 trillion, up 31%, operating profit of ₩319.4 billion, up 43% on a consolidated basis, and net profit of ₩237.5 billion, up 12% (DART FY2025 사업보고서). Korean press reported a slightly higher parent-basis operating profit of about ₩323 billion (Asiae, Feb 13, 2026); this page uses the consolidated DART figures.

What are the risks for LIG Nex1?

  • Export concentration. A large share of the backlog rests on Cheongung-II Middle East contracts, so regional politics, financing, and delivery timing carry weight.
  • Working capital and cash flow. Scaling large export programs ties up cash; the company has flagged negative operating cash flow during the ramp.
  • Subsidiary drag. Press has noted losses at a robotics subsidiary, a reminder that diversification can dent group results.
  • Quarterly lumpiness. Missile deliveries arrive in irregular blocks, so revenue and margins can swing sharply between quarters.

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Frequently asked questions about LIG Nex1

What does LIG Nex1 do?

LIG Nex1, renamed LIG Defense & Aerospace (LIG D&A) in April 2026, is South Korea's leading precision-guided weapons company. It develops and builds guided munitions and missiles, led by the Cheongung-II (M-SAM II) medium-range surface-to-air missile, plus weapon-locating and AESA radar, sonar and torpedoes, electronic warfare, and C4ISR systems.

Did LIG Nex1 change its name?

Yes. At its April 2026 shareholder meeting the company changed its name from LIG Nex1 to LIG Defense & Aerospace (LIG D&A), and its KOSPI ticker symbol changed from NEX1 to LIGDA on April 14, 2026 (The Elec, Mar 2026). The stock code 079550 is unchanged. The rename reflects an expansion from defense materials into aerospace and space.

Why is LIG Nex1 part of the Korea defense theme?

It is Korea's flagship maker of precision-guided missiles and the lead exporter of the Cheongung-II (M-SAM II) air-defense system. Cheongung-II Middle East export wins, including Saudi Arabia (about ₩4.3 trillion) and Iraq (about ₩3.7 trillion), lifted backlog to roughly ₩26.2 trillion, of which about ₩14 trillion is export (Asiae, Feb 13, 2026).

What was LIG Nex1's latest revenue?

In Q1 2026 (ended March 31, 2026) the company reported consolidated revenue of ₩1.17 trillion, up 29% year over year, with operating profit of ₩171.1 billion (+51%) and net profit of ₩135.4 billion (+63%) (DART Q1 2026 분기보고서). For full-year 2025 it posted revenue of ₩4.31 trillion (+31%) and operating profit of ₩319.4 billion (+43%).

Sources & references

  1. LIG Defense & Aerospace (LIG Nex1) · Q1 2026 분기보고서 (quarterly report, 2026.03) · LIG Defense & Aerospace / DART (FSS), 2026-05-15
  2. LIG Defense & Aerospace (LIG Nex1) · FY2025 사업보고서 (annual business report, 2025.12) · LIG Defense & Aerospace / DART (FSS), 2026-03-23
  3. LIG Nex1 2025 operating profit ₩322.9 billion, up 44.5%; backlog ₩26.2 trillion · Asiae (아시아경제), 2026-02-13
  4. LIG Nex1 renamed LIG Defense & Aerospace, declaring global defense expansion · The Elec (디일렉), 2026-03-31
  5. LIG Nex1 2025 operating profit ₩323.1 billion, up 41% year over year · Bloter (블로터), 2026-02-13