▲ This image, captured from presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik's Facebook page on June 3, 2026, shows Kang (R) meeting with Marc-Andre Blanchard, chief of staff to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, during his visit to Canada as President Lee Jae Myung's special envoy. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

S Korea-Canada submarine bid

S. Korea sweetens Canada submarine bid with hydrogen truck proposal: report

SEOUL, June 4 (Yonhap) -- South Korea has proposed a hydrogen-powered truck project as part of its bid for a major Canadian submarine contract to boost its offer against Germany, according to a Canadian media report.

Presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik unveiled the proposal in an interview with Canada's CTV News on Wednesday (local time) during his visit to Canada as President Lee Jae Myung's special envoy supporting Seoul's campaign to supply 12 submarines to Ottawa.

A consortium of Hanwha Ocean Co. and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. is currently competing with Germany's Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) for the submarine project, estimated to be worth about 60 trillion won (US$39.7 billion). Canada is expected to announce its preferred bidder later this month.

During the interview, Kang said South Korea would invest more than $2.3 billion in Canada to help establish a hydrogen-powered trucking industry and create about 9,000 jobs through a project code-named "Project Beaver" if the Korean consortium wins the submarine contract.

According to Kang, Project Beaver would leverage Hyundai Motor's hydrogen fuel-cell technology, and localize production and related industries in Canada.

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