President Lee Jae-myung met with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who is pursuing a 60 trillion won submarine program, and discussed expanding economic cooperation, including the defense industry. As the government expands support for strategic industries such as defense with the goal of becoming a "K-defense top four," this was a venue to back, at the government level, a large-scale bidding war that our corporations have entered. Marking the 10th anniversary of the Korea-Canada Free Trade Agreement (FTA) taking effect, the two also exchanged views on strengthening cooperation across all areas of the economy.
In the morning, President Lee held a summit with Prime Minister Carney at a hotel in downtown Gyeongju, where the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) leaders' meeting is being held. From our government, the three senior secretaries in the presidential office (chief of staff, policy chief, and national security adviser), the Vice Minister of National Defense, and the acting Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs attended. From Canada, Prime Minister's Chief of Staff Marc-André Blanchard, Defense Minister David McGuinty, and Canadian Ambassador to Korea Philippe Lafortune joined.
At the meeting, President Lee said, "During the 6/25 War, Canada dispatched an enormous force of 27,000 troops and suffered close to 400 casualties in its efforts to defend the free Republic of Korea," adding, "Canada is more than a simple friend; it is a key friendly nation comparable to an ally." Lee also said, "We are already engaging in various forms of cooperation not only in the defense sector but also in the economic sector, and further expanded cooperation will take place going forward," and added, "Canada has taken the lead in foundational research in artificial intelligence, benefiting the entire world."
In particular, regarding cultural exchanges, Lee mentioned Maggie Kang, the Canadian producer of "K-pop Demon Hunters." Lee said, "Cultural exchanges between Canada and Korea are also taking place very actively," adding, "What showcases Canada's cultural capabilities is Korean Canadian Maggie Kang, who produced this 'K-pop Demon Hunters.' People around the world think it was made in Korea, but in fact it was made by a Canadian director."
In his opening remarks, Prime Minister Carney said, "Korea is an extremely important partner for Canada in every domain, including defense, industry, and culture," adding, "Our relationship in trade is important, our defense cooperation is steadily increasing, and cultural exchanges are also growing, so I believe this is a very important moment."
Canada is proceeding with a 60 trillion won submarine bidding project (CPSP). Hanwha Ocean and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, along with Germany's ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS), are currently on the final shortlist. Our corporations highlighted their strengths in perfectly meeting delivery deadlines and price competitiveness, while Germany emphasized that European defense funds could be tapped for financing. With the Korea-Canada summit taking place at this juncture, expectations for winning the order have risen.
Not only is the project large in scale, but the fact that maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) will continue for more than 30 years after delivery is also noteworthy. The industry expects the final contractor could be decided as early as next year. This is why the government is fully supporting the bidding war in connection with this summit. In the afternoon, Prime Minister Carney and Defense Minister McGuinty will visit Hanwha Ocean's Geoje site to tour the construction of a 3,600-ton class submarine. The visit is intended to check production capacity and other factors, and Prime Minister Kim Min-seok will accompany them.