Daewoo K4
- Category
- Machine Gun
- Barrel
- 412 mm
- Weight, empty
- 34.40 kg
- Introduced
- 1993
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Daewoo K4 is a 40x53mm high-velocity automatic grenade launcher developed for the Republic of Korea Armed Forces by the Agency for Defense Development between 1985 and 1991, and produced by Daewoo Precision Industries (now S&T Motiv) from 1993. Fundamentally similar in role to the U.S. Mk 19, the K4 is a belt-fed, blowback-operated crew-served weapon used to suppress troops in the open and engage soft-skinned vehicles out to 1,500 m, with a maximum range of 2,200 m.
The K4 was deliberately designed to maintain ammunition compatibility with the U.S. Mk 19, so that ROK forces operating alongside U.S. units in a Korean Peninsula contingency could share linked 40x53mm grenade belts without resupply problems.
Like the Mk 19, the K4 is normally tripod-mounted or fitted to vehicle pintle mounts (HMMWV-equivalent KM250, K200 IFV, naval craft). It is fed from 32- or 48-round linked belts and accepts a KAN/TVS-5 night-vision sight on a side rail.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- S&T Motiv (formerly Daewoo Precision Industries)
- Category
- Machine Gun
- Country
- South Korea
- Status
- In production
- Produced
- 1993
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 412 mm
- Overall length
- 1072 mm
- Weight, empty
- 34.40 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Blowback
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Single stage
- Capacity
- 48
- Magazine
- Belt
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Finish
- Phosphate
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 241 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 6680 J
- Effective range
- 1500 m
- Maximum range
- 2200 m
- Rate of fire
- 350 rpm
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Tripod mounted- Vehicle pintle mountable
Belt fed 32 or 48 grenade belt- Kan tvs 5 night vision compatible
Spade grips
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 261 machine guns | 34.40 kg | 10.50 kg | Heavier than about 90% |
| Overall lengthAmong 260 machine guns | 1072 mm | 1156 mm | Shorter than about 70% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 257 machine guns | 412 mm | 605 mm | Shorter than about 90% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 222 machine guns | 48 | 50 | Near the median |
Answers
Questions about the Daewoo K4
How much does the Daewoo K4 weigh?
The Daewoo K4 weighs 34.40 kg (75.84 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Daewoo K4?
The Daewoo K4 is chambered in 40x53mm HV Grenade.
How many rounds does the Daewoo K4 hold?
The Daewoo K4 holds 48 rounds, fed from a belt.
How long is the Daewoo K4?
The Daewoo K4 is 1072 mm (42.2 in) long overall, with a 412 mm (16.2 in) barrel.
Who makes the Daewoo K4?
The Daewoo K4 is made by S&T Motiv (formerly Daewoo Precision Industries) (South Korea). It was designed by Agency for Defense Development (ADD).
When was the Daewoo K4 introduced?
The Daewoo K4 was introduced in 1993.
How does the Daewoo K4 operate?
The Daewoo K4 uses a blowback action, and its firing mechanism is hammer fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- Republic of Korea Armed Forces
- 1993
- Iraqi Armed Forces
- Iraq
- Mexican Armed Forces
- Mexico
- Polish Armed Forces
- Poland
- Singapore Armed Forces
- Singapore
Provenance
Confidence in this record
82%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/daewoo-k4' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "daewoo-k4", "name": "Daewoo K4", "manufacturer": { "id": "snt-motiv", "name": "S&T Motiv (formerly Daewoo Precision Industries)", "countryCode": "KR", "foundedYear": 1981, "website": "https://www.sntmotiv.com", "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-02-11 23:44:38", "updatedAt": "2026-02-18 03:43:46", "version": "9db0b6bd86b8c9a1e686c470d1c6a21f813dddaec277f9be6ca224566aa0099d" }, "category": { "id": "machine-gun", "name": "Machine Gun", "description": "Fully automatic firearms for sustained fire" }, "country_of_origin": "KR", "year_introduced": 1993, "barrel_length_mm": 412, "weight_empty_g": 34400, "action_type": "blowback"}