Kang Hoon-sik makes final push for Canada submarine contract, meeting officials across political spectrum

Kang Hoon-sik, President Lee Jae Myung's chief of staff and special envoy for strategic economic cooperation, said Wednesday he had held a series of meetings with Canadian political and government officials to seek their support for South Korea's bid to supply submarines to Canada.

Kang said he met with Marc-André Blanchard, chief of staff to the Canadian prime minister, to discuss expanding the partnership in areas including energy and middle-power solidarity. "I urged an objective and fair evaluation, taking into account the excellence of our submarines and the economic benefits that industrial cooperation would bring," he said.

The meeting was the third between the two chiefs of staff. "Both Mr. Blanchard and I agreed that the close communication between us is itself proof that the two countries' relationship is rapidly deepening," Kang said.

Kang also reported on a visit to the Canadian Senate, where he met Standing Committee on National Security, Defence and Veterans Affairs Chair Marty Deacon and three other senators. He said he explained how South Korea's proposed industrial cooperation — linking energy resource collaboration with the submarine project — would benefit Canada economically, and asked for parliamentary-level attention and support for the submarine bid.

He added that he explained how "Team Korea" could contribute to job creation and economic revitalization in Ontario, the heart of Canadian manufacturing.

On his meeting with Industry Minister Mélanie Joly, Kang said he stressed that the MOU among Hanwha, the Automotive Parts Manufacturers' Association of Canada and Algoma Steel was equivalent in scale to building an entire automobile factory in Canada.

He said he also presented the projected C$96.3 billion impact on Canada's GDP from submarine cooperation, the creation of 430,000 jobs through 2044, and Hyundai Motor Co.'s hydrogen vision at home and abroad.

"Minister Joly expressed strong agreement that Korean companies would faithfully deliver on their promised investments and job commitments, and said she hoped to expand cooperation across a wide range of sectors including semiconductors, life sciences, AI, space and defense," Kang said.

Kang also met with Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson to discuss expanding crude oil imports and energy cooperation covering liquefied natural gas and critical minerals, and attended the Korea-Canada Energy and Resources Supply Chain Forum.

Kang departed South Korea on May 31. The previous day, after attending the Korea-Canada Advanced Industry Cooperation Business Roundtable in Toronto, he traveled to Ottawa, where he met Secretary of State for Defence Procurement Steven Fewchuk and Defence Minister David McGuinty to seek their cooperation on the submarine project.