Kang Hoon-sik seals Canada MOUs, backs submarine bid

Feb 02, 2026, 07:58 am

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Kang Hoon-sik, presidential chief of staff, speaks to reporters after returning to South Korea via Incheon International Airport Terminal 2 on Jan. 31, following visits to Canada and Norway as a special presidential envoy. / Yonhap

Kang Hoon-sik, chief of staff to the South Korean president, said Friday that South Korea has signed five memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with Canada covering cooperation in steel, shipbuilding, defense, artificial intelligence and space industries, as part of efforts to support Korean companies’ bid for a Canadian submarine project.

Kang made the remarks upon his return to South Korea via Incheon International Airport after visiting Canada and Norway as a special presidential envoy for strategic economic cooperation.

He explained that the MOUs were concluded to demonstrate South Korea’s strong commitment to industrial cooperation while emphasizing the country’s advanced submarine construction capabilities in its bid for the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project (CPSP), where South Korea is competing with Germany.

In addition to the five MOUs, Kang said the two countries also agreed to expand cooperation between governments and companies in future mobility and critical minerals.

“The envoy team did not engage in a ‘festival of words’ by making promises that would be difficult to keep simply for the sake of winning contracts,” Kang said. “Instead, we focused on delivering sincere, executable plans that would provide tangible benefits to future generations in both countries.”

Kang stressed that South Korea possesses world-class submarine construction capabilities, noting that the submarines are already in operation by the South Korean Navy, allowing Canadian officials to board them at any time and enabling immediate delivery on a desired schedule. He also highlighted that the submarines can offer future Canadian crews working conditions “comparable to a five-star hotel.”

However, Kang acknowledged that securing the submarine contract would not be easy, citing Canada’s security cooperation framework with Germany under NATO. Still, he said he conveyed confidence that South Korea’s superior technology and expanded industrial cooperation with Canada could help overcome such challenges. He added that the outcome of the bid could be determined within six months to a year.

Kang also announced that South Korea has signed a 1.3 trillion won defense export contract with Norway for the Chunmoo multiple rocket launcher system, marking the country’s first major defense export deal of the year.

“The export to Norway is highly significant as it establishes a strategic foothold for a full-scale expansion into Northern Europe, where geographical and climatic conditions are similar,” Kang said. “South Korea’s defense industry has now secured bridgeheads in both Eastern and Northern Europe, and we will continue to mobilize all available resources to support defense exports.”

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