President Lee: "Defense Powerhouse Korea Ready to Contribute to Canada's Security"

President Lee Jae-myung, who is visiting Évian, France, to attend the Group of Seven (G7) summit, held a bilateral meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on June 16 (local time).

The presidential office stated in a press release that the two leaders agreed on the importance of strengthening strategic cooperation in key areas, including defense, security, energy, and critical minerals, and pledged to work closely together to achieve this.

In particular, President Lee emphasized, "As the global order is being reshaped, South Korea, a powerhouse in the defense industry, is ready to actively contribute to strengthening Canada's security capabilities based on trust."

In response, Prime Minister Carney replied, "I value the partnership with South Korea and look forward to continuing discussions on these matters."

The dialogue between the two leaders is drawing attention as it coincides with the intensifying competition for Canada's next-generation submarine project.

Currently, South Korea's Hanwha Ocean is in final competition with Germany's ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) for the Canadian submarine project, which is valued at up to 60 trillion won.

Meanwhile, the two leaders agreed on the importance of building a stable energy supply chain between the two countries and decided to expand mutually beneficial cooperation in areas such as crude oil, liquefied natural gas (LNG), and critical minerals.

In this process, they decided to actively leverage the strengths of South Korea, which possesses advanced industrial capabilities, and Canada, which holds abundant resources and technology.

Furthermore, they assessed that the recent agreement between the U.S. and Iran has raised the possibility of peace in the Middle East, and agreed to actively seek practical and concrete ways to cooperate in contributing to peace, prosperity, and the resolution of pending issues in the region and the international community.

The two leaders also emphasized the need for stronger cooperation in their opening remarks.

President Lee first stated, "Canada and the Republic of Korea have had a very deep connection since the Korean War. We owe a great debt of gratitude," adding, "We are now like-minded nations that are helpful to each other."

He continued, "The relationship between our two countries is developing significantly. As there is much for us to cooperate on, I hope we can discuss how to make our cooperation more concrete today."

In response, Prime Minister Carney assessed that the relationship between the two countries has continued to develop since he visited South Korea and met with President Lee at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju last October.

He remarked, "The partnership between our two countries has continued to grow. We have strengthened cooperation in various fields, including defense, investment, and culture."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.