Seoul: President Lee Jae Myung on Wednesday touted the country's first mass-produced homegrown KF-21 fighter jets as a symbol that embodies "aspirations for self-reliant defense," vowing to make South Korea one of the world's top four defense powers.

According to Yonhap News Agency, at a ceremony for the first delivery of the fighter jets, which came after years of development and prototype testing, Lee pledged to invest more in high-end aircraft technologies. "South Korea has finally secured weapons to protect peace with its own technology not only on land and sea but also in the air," Lee stated during the ceremony held at the Korea Aerospace Industries headquarters in Sacheon, 296 kilometers southeast of Seoul.

"The KF-21 fighter jets, designed with our own technology and built with our own hands, are finally being rolled out," he added. "This fighter jet embodies the fervent aspirations for self-reliant defense that we have dreamed of for more than half a century."

Lee emphasized that the government will build on the success of the KF-21 jets to advance into the world's top four defense powers. He also acknowledged the country's K9 self-propelled howitzers and Cheongung surface-to-air missiles as having demonstrated the world-class defense capabilities.

The KF-21 development program was launched by South Korea in 2015 with the goal of acquiring a homegrown supersonic fighter to replace the Air Force's aging fleet of U.S.-made F-4 and F-5 jets.