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Industry minister to visit Canada to back Seoul's bid for high-profile submarine project

Published: 04 Mar. 2026, 17:00 Updated: 04 Mar. 2026, 18:10

Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan, center, takes reporters' questions at Incheon International Airport on Jan. 31. [YONHAP]

Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan will visit Canada this week to extend support for a Korean consortium's bid to secure Canada's 60 trillion won ($40.5 billion) submarine project, Kim's office said on Wednesday.

Kim is scheduled to depart for Canada early on Thursday. While there, he is also scheduled to attend the completion ceremony for LG Energy Solution's joint EV battery plant in Ontario, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources.

The Seoul government has been working to help the Korean consortium, comprising Hanwha Ocean and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, win the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project, under which Canada plans to procure up to 12 submarines for patrol missions.

The Korean consortium is one of the two final contenders for the high-profile project. Germany's Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems is the other.

Canada has reportedly asked Korea and Germany to invest in Canada's automobile sector in connection with the submarine deal, asking for Korea's Hyundai Motor to build a local manufacturing facility and for Germany's Volkswagen to expand its existing facility.

Yonhap