Both South Korea and West Germany kept the cooperation in secret because the two nations believed that the United States would intervene once the information had been leaked. Because the American offer was an outdated design, South Korea then contacted KraussMaffei of West Germany to receive technical assistance, and KraussMaffei offered a unique tank design based on Leopard 1. South Korea first asked Chrysler Defense for a solution to acquire a better tank, and Chrysler suggested purchasing the M60A3 or producing it in South Korea. Not satisfied with the M48 Patton upgrade, South Korea began looking for a new tank that could overwhelm every North Korean counterpart as the existence of the T-62 and its manufacturing facility were confirmed by satellite images in 1976. The chairman was shocked after learning about his misunderstanding from the secretary as he was leaving the building. Chung Ju-yung, thinking that the president asked for a train factory, promised to build one. Around the same time, Park Chung-hee ordered the development of a domestic tank and personally summoned Chung Ju-yung, the founder of Hyundai Group, to recommend building a tank factory. Korean engineers were sent to the United States Army Depot in Alabama for training, such as armor cast steel welding and production, precision manufacturing, assembling skills, quality inspection, and test evaluation. Under the agreement, South Korea received the technical data package (TDP) of the M48 Patton and its upgrade kits for 12 major enhancements. However, the United States responded by transferring used M48 tanks and providing upgrades instead South Korea received 25 M48A5s from the United States Forces Korea and numerous M48A3s that were used, but in good condition, during the Vietnam War. South Korean President Park Chung-hee requested the latest variant of M60 tanks to maintain the balance of power. 7th Infantry Division began withdrawing from South Korea from 1969 to 1971 under the Nixon Doctrine. In the early 1970s, South Korea received an intelligence report about North Korea locally producing Soviet T-62 tanks.
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