Kang Hoon-sik says Canada submarine loss will 'sharpen' S. Korea's competitive edge

Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik said Tuesday that while he respects Canada's decision to select a German firm as the preferred bidder for its next-generation submarine program, the competition had served as "the clearest opportunity yet to imprint South Korea's submarine technology and industrial competitiveness on the global market."

Writing on his Facebook page Tuesday, Kang said Canada's announcement of its preferred bidder left him with a deep sense of regret. "This was a project I personally oversaw on the ground as a presidential special envoy, pouring every ounce of effort alongside our defense industry team until the very end," he said.

"I respect the decision made by the Canadian government, which weighed a comprehensive range of factors including economic and industrial cooperation, security and cost," he added.

Kang described the bidding contest as "an opportunity to reaffirm where South Korea's defense industry stands today."

He said Canadian media and experts assessed the submarines proposed by South Korea and Germany as so evenly matched that it was difficult to declare either side clearly superior. "The fact that the Canadian government deliberated until just before the NATO summit, taking longer than originally planned, shows just how difficult a choice it was," he said.

Kang said South Korea, which once learned submarine technology from Germany, now stands shoulder to shoulder with its former teacher — and in some assessments has even pulled ahead in terms of performance. "I feel great pride in the remarkable growth of our defense technology," he said.

He acknowledged, however, that the outcome also revealed the limits of technology alone. "It was not easy to break through the thick wall of NATO, a powerful military alliance that has held together since 1949," he said.

"I feel the historical weight of a security alliance and logistical interoperability built up over more than 70 years," Kang said. "But the significance of this challenge is far from small. It has become the clearest opportunity to imprint South Korea's submarine technology and industrial competitiveness on the global market."

Kang drew a parallel with the K2 main battle tank, which outperformed rival products in cold-weather trials in Norway but ultimately failed to win a contract due to the NATO alliance barrier. "Yet Poland, which had taken careful note of the tank's performance, reached out proactively — and that led to a historic large-scale contract for up to 1,000 units," he said.

"I am convinced that this submarine competition will likewise become a milestone that opens the door to new opportunities," he said.

Kang said he would not let the result stand as mere consolation. "We will not settle for saying we fought well even in defeat," he said. "We will objectively review the entire process in which government and industry ran as one team, address our shortcomings, build on our strengths, and make sure the next challenge produces truly outstanding results."

"The world is vast and there is much to be done," he added. "Even now, there are countries around the world that trust and want South Korea's submarines and defense products. We will lace up our shoes and get back to running."

He also pledged that the partnership forged between government and industry during the bidding process would not loosen. "We will keep running together, without tiring, toward broader and newer markets," he said.