“Doing Our Utmost for Tangible Results in Energy and Supply Chains”
Expanding Cooperation with Resource-Rich Canada Amid Prolonged Middle East Crisis
Ministry of Trade and Industry, Foreign Affairs, and Leading Companies Join Delegation in Energy, Resources, and Advanced Industries
Second Visit in Four Months Draws Attention as It Coincides with Submarine Contract Race
Kang Hoon-sik, Chief of Staff to the President, departed for Canada on the 31st as a Special Envoy for Strategic Economic Cooperation on behalf of President Lee Jae-myung. This visit comes at a time when global concerns over energy and supply chain instability are mounting due to the prolonged Middle East crisis. The aim is to expand strategic cooperation with Canada—a leading resource-rich nation—in the areas of energy, critical minerals, and advanced industries. In particular, there is speculation that Korea is making a final all-out effort ahead of the announcement of contract winners for Canada’s next-generation submarine program (CPSP), which is valued at approximately 60 trillion won.
Chief Presidential Secretary Kang Hoon-sik departed for Canada on the 31st as a strategic economic cooperation special envoy for President Lee Jae-myung. (Source: Kang Hoon-sik, Chief Presidential Secretary’s Facebook)
On his Facebook account, Kang stated, “I am departing for Canada as the President’s Special Envoy for Strategic Economic Cooperation.” He added, “This special envoy delegation includes the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as companies and organizations in the fields of energy, resources, supply chain, and advanced industries.” According to the defense industry, Kang is scheduled to attend the “Korea-Canada Resource Security Supply Chain Cooperation Forum” in Canada.
Kang cited the May 8 phone call between President Lee and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney as the background for this visit. During that call, the two leaders agreed on the need to ensure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, secure a stable energy supply, and strengthen cooperation on supply chains. President Lee described Canada as a “core ally” during the call, expressing hopes for deeper collaboration in security, the economy, energy, critical minerals, and advanced industries.
Kang commented, “The Korea-Canada relationship is rapidly expanding across the economy, energy, and advanced industries. Especially as the Middle East crisis continues, I am increasingly aware of how complementary the two countries’ economic and industrial structures are, and how great the synergy can be between two global middle powers.”
This is Kang’s second visit to Canada as a special envoy in four months. In January, he visited Canada in the same capacity, meeting with Prime Minister Carney and high-level officials in the defense, finance, and industry sectors. This return visit draws attention not only for its focus on cooperation in the energy and resource supply chain, but also for its relevance to defense industry issues such as Canada’s next-generation submarine program.
Canada is currently pursuing a next-generation submarine program to replace its existing Victoria-class submarines, planning to acquire up to 12 new vessels in a project expected to reach as much as 60 trillion won. Since Canada has made domestic investment a contract requirement for countries participating in the submarine bid, Korea may propose resource and energy investment as part of its offer.
The Office of the President has assessed that the need to expand cooperation with Canada has grown amid energy supply uncertainties and the restructuring of critical mineral supply chains caused by the prolonged Middle East crisis. Canada is considered a highly promising partner for Korea not only in energy resources such as oil and natural gas, but also in supplying critical minerals needed for the battery, semiconductor, and electric vehicle industries.
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Kang stated, “As this is my second visit as special envoy in four months, I will do my utmost to deliver tangible results that expand strategic cooperation between our two countries in energy, resources, supply chains, and advanced industries.”
This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.
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