Ottawa: President Lee Jae Myung's top aide announced Thursday that he has delivered a personal letter from President Lee to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. This move is part of South Korea's strategic push to secure a significant submarine project with Canada.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Kang Hoon-sik, serving as a special envoy for strategic economic cooperation, detailed in a Facebook post his meetings with Carney and other prominent Canadian officials. The discussions centered around the submarine project and the potential expansion of security and defense industry cooperation between the two nations.
The visit by Kang comes as a Korean consortium, led by Hanwha Ocean and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, has been shortlisted as a final contender for the Canadian submarine program. This program is valued at approximately 60 trillion won (US$41.4 billion) and sees competition from Germany's ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems.
Kang highlighted South Korea's advanced submarine technology to Canadian officials and reiterated the Korean government's dedication to fostering broader security and defense industry ties between South Korea and Canada.
Looking ahead, Canada's Minister of State for Defense Procurement, Stephen Fuhr, is scheduled to visit South Korea next week. He plans to personally board a submarine currently in operation with the South Korean Navy, as confirmed by Kang.
Kang expressed that Canada views the submarine acquisition program as a pivotal moment for transforming its industrial and security policy landscape. He noted that obtaining the Canadian contract would mark a significant milestone for South Korea's defense industry. It would represent its largest defense deal in Western markets and could potentially open avenues for broader engagement with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) market.