▲ Presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik speaks to reporters at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, west of Seoul, on Jan. 31, 2026, following his trip to Canada and Norway. (Yonhap)

presidential aide-Canada

Lee aide voices confidence in Canadian submarine project bid

SEOUL, Jan. 31 (Yonhap) -- Lee Jae Myung's top aide on Saturday voiced confidence in South Korea's bid to win a major Canadian submarine project as he returned from his trip to the North American nation and Norway.

"We assess that our submarine technology is significantly better (than that of our rivals), and we are confident we can overcome issues through industrial cooperation with Canada down the road," presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik told reporters at Incheon International Airport.

A South Korean consortium led by Hanwha Ocean and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries was recently shortlisted as a final candidate to win the Canadian submarine program, estimated at around 60 trillion won (US$41.4 billion), alongside Germany's ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems.

The presidential aide acknowledged there are hurdles, considering Canada and Germany maintain close security ties under the North Atlantic Treaty Organization framework.

Kang added that the final result is expected to come in six months at the earliest and may take up to a year, noting that Canadian officials are expected to visit South Korea during the process.

"During his trip to Norway following his visit to Canada, Hanwha Aerospace Co., a South Korean defense giant, signed a major defense contract worth 19 billion Norwegian kroner ($1.9 billion) to supply land-based long-range precision artillery systems to the European nation.

"The project will help expand (exports) to other countries," he said.

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