'Next time I'll arrive by submarine,' Kang quips as Seoul pushes for Canada contract

Kang Hoon-sik, presidential chief of staff and special envoy for strategic economic cooperation, is making a final push to secure a submarine contract worth up to 60 trillion won ($39.7 billion) during his visit to Canada. In a Facebook post Sunday reporting on his activities for June 1 local time, Kang said he had held separate meetings with Steven Fuhr, minister of state for defense procurement, and David McGuinty, minister of national defense.

Kang departed for Canada on May 31 to support South Korea's bid for Canada's next-generation submarine project, with a contractor selection expected in about a month.

In the meetings, Kang said he told both ministers that "choosing Korea — the only partner that combines procurement speed, quality and delivery reliability — can be a success story for Canada's defense procurement reform and a new engine of economic growth."

He also recounted a lighthearted exchange that arose after a delayed flight left him rushing to make the meetings on time. "I joked that since our submarine had traveled 14,000 kilometers across the Pacific without a single minute of delay, arriving perfectly on time, I should just come by submarine next time," he wrote.

Before traveling to Ottawa, Kang attended a Korea-Canada advanced industry cooperation business roundtable in Toronto. At the event, Ontario Minister of Energy and Mines Stephen Lecce cited areas of bilateral cooperation including critical minerals, small modular reactors, liquefied natural gas and crude oil, saying, "As allies who have shed blood together, let us fight side by side for the next generation."

Kang and other members of the special envoy delegation also visited Canadian auto parts maker Martinrea, where they signed a memorandum of understanding on defense vehicle production and exports.

Kang said that upon landing at Toronto's airport ahead of his meetings in Ottawa, his first stop was a memorial chair for victims of the Sewol ferry disaster, located on the shore of Lake Ontario, before he proceeded to the Korea-Canada advanced industry cooperation roundtable.