were mass-produced in 2015 as part of the rifle modernization plan and were introduced around front-line units from 2016. : Used by the Lebanese Army. : Received 1,100 K2 and 1,000 K2C in 2012. 5,200 K2C delivered in 2012-2013. Known to be used by Malawian soldiers in the United Nations Force Intervention Brigade. : Purchased in 2011. : First customer of K2. Purchased 3,000 in 1983, and another batch in 1996. Additional 30,000 rifles were sold in 2006. : used by Special Forces at least since the 1990s. North Korean special forces with imitation ROK Military digital camo uniform and K2 rifles (unlicensed locally made copies) were reported by ROK Army soldiers during the 2015 North Korean exchanges of artillery fire with South Korea across the Western Front. : Purchased K2C in 2013. : Used by the Infantería de Marina del Perú (Peruvian Naval Infantry). : Purchased K2C1 in 2019, used by Philippine National Police based from a contract in 2018. : Purchased 100 K2 rifles in 2003. : 403 K2s transferred according to a 2019 SIPRI small arms report. Non-state actors : Captured from Iraqi troops. Also used by ISEA and various IS affiliated militants across Africa : Seen in the hands of Syrian rebels Boko Haram: Seen in Boko Haram captures and in use Replacement versus upgrades S&T Daewoo (now S&T Motiv) proposed the XK8, a 5.56×45mm NATO bullpup version of the K2 in early 2000. After a series of field tests, the XK8 was rejected by the South Korean military and was never mass-produced. More recently, the development of the S&T Daewoo K11 dual-barrel air-burst weapon, which uses 5.56×45mm NATO and 20×30mm air-burst grenade, prompted the South Korean military to plan for the replacements of all K2 rifles in service with the K11, making K11 the standard service rifle for the armed forces. However, due to the K11's extremely high cost and weight for a standard rifle, the armed forces scrapped its original plan and decided to provide 2 K11 per squad in order to increase firepower. As of 2019, the K11 project is in a state of complete suspension. As a result, The K2 was retained as the standard service rifle. In 2014, an upgraded K2 rifle, the K2C1 was introduced, and the South Korean Army performed field tests which were successful. K2C1 mass production began in 2015 to replace the K2 as the standard issue