Lee Jae-myung, visiting Türkiye to attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit, held a brief meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on the afternoon of the 7th (local time). Wi Sung-lac, presidential Office of National Security chief, said at a press center briefing in Ankara that the two met and noted that concrete discussions took place on artificial intelligence (AI) cooperation between the two countries.
Deputy Minister Wi said, "Regarding the selection of the preferred bidder for Canadian submarines, President Lee held a call with Prime Minister Carney over the weekend at the prime minister's request," and added, "The Canadian side extended special courtesy and explained the selection result to us in advance." He also said, "During the submarine bidding process, the two countries identified possibilities for cooperation in a wide range of areas, including defense and defense industry, energy, and critical minerals," and added, "We will continue to expand practical cooperation in this area going forward."
In this meeting, the two sides agreed to continue deepening their comprehensive strategic partnership. In particular, cooperation in future AI was a key agenda item, and the two leaders held "serious and concrete discussions," Deputy Minister Wi said.
Earlier, on the 6th, Prime Minister Carney announced at the Halifax naval base in Nova Scotia that Germany's ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) had been finally selected as the preferred bidder for Canada's next-generation submarine acquisition program (CPSP), a 60 trillion won project. Hanwha Ocean competed with Germany until the end, but the Canadian government ultimately chose a Germany–Norway consortium of NATO members. Despite Korea's shipbuilding technology and ability to meet delivery schedules, the decision was said to prioritize interoperability and cohesion within NATO.
Regarding this, President Lee wrote on Facebook, "Although we did not achieve the expected result in this Canadian submarine project, I believe we once again clearly demonstrated our potential to the international community," and added, "I am confident that today's experience will be a valuable foundation to further advance our technology and enhance our competitiveness."