Trade, Industry and Resources Minister Kim Jung-kwan, left, shakes hands with his counterpart, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Tim Hodgson, in Ottawa, Ontario, Wednesday (local time). Courtesy of Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources
The Minister of Trade, Industry and Resources Kim Jung-kwan traveled to Ottawa on Tuesday and Wednesday for a series of high-level meetings aimed at expanding bilateral cooperation in industry and natural resources and lobbying in support of Korea's bid to win Canada's submarine procurement contract.
On Tuesday afternoon, Kim met with Canadian Minister of Industry Melanie Joly. The two exchanged progress updates on bilateral industrial cooperation related to the submarine bid, including the signing of business-to-business memorandums of understanding (MOUs) between Korean and Canadian companies.
They also discussed deepening cooperation in sectors including hydrogen and multilateral coordination on shared international priorities. Kim requested the Canadian government's continued attention and support for Korean companies investing in Canada.
On Wednesday morning, Kim held talks with Canadian Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Tim Hodgson. The ministers agreed on the need to diversify energy and resource supply chains amid growing instability in global supply networks, and committed to deepening bilateral cooperation in critical minerals through existing channels, including the Korea-Canada Critical Minerals Working Group.
Also on Wednesday, Kim met separately with Sen. Hassan Yussuff, a member of Canada's Standing Committee on National Security and Defence and a former senior defense committee official, to discuss strategic cooperation between the two countries on the submarine project.
Kim also met with Flavio Volpe, president of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers' Association of Canada (APMA), to discuss cooperation in the defense industry following the April 29 signing of an MOU by Hanwha Aerospace, Hanwha Ocean and APMA covering the establishment of a joint venture for military and special-purpose industrial vehicle production. Kim expressed appreciation for APMA's declaration of support for Korea's submarine bid.
On the sidelines of the ministerial meetings, two additional MOUs were signed in the fields of shipbuilding and industrial technology research and development. The Korea Research Institute of Ships and Ocean Engineering signed an agreement with Memorial University of Newfoundland for joint international research and development on icebreakers. The Korea Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology signed a separate MOU with Canadian firm Prompt covering industrial technology innovation and research and development cooperation.
"Winning Canada's submarine contract goes beyond a simple defense procurement deal — it will serve as a pivotal turning point for building a long-term partnership between the two countries," Kim said.
"We will marshal the full combined capacity of the public and private sectors to the very end."
Source: Korea Times News
