(LEAD) S. Korean sub to make trans-Pacific journey for joint drills with Canada amid major bid

▲ Senior officials pose for a group photo during a departure ceremony for the 3,000-ton ROKS Dosan Ahn Chang-ho submarine, set to take part in combined drills with Canada, in the southeastern city of Changwon on March 25, 2026. (Yonhap)

▲ Visitors wave their hands as the 3,000-ton ROKS Dosan Ahn Chang-ho submarine departs a naval port in the southeastern city of Changwon on March 25, 2026, for combined drills with Canada. (Yonhap)

▲ The 3,000-ton ROKS Dosan Ahn Chang-ho submarine leaves a naval port in the southeastern city of Changwon on March 25, 2026, for combined drills with Canada, in this photo provided by the Navy. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

(LEAD) S Korea-Canada-naval drills

(LEAD) S. Korean sub to make trans-Pacific journey for joint drills with Canada amid major bid

(ATTN: UPDATES with photos, remarks, details)

By Lee Minji

SEOUL, March 25 (Yonhap) -- A 3,000-ton South Korean naval submarine will travel across the Pacific for the first time to take part in joint drills with Canada in June, aimed at bolstering maritime security and arms industry cooperation, the Navy said Wednesday.

The planned 14,000-kilometer journey by the ROKS Dosan Ahn Chang-ho comes as a South Korean consortium is vying with Germany's Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems to win a landmark contract to supply 12 naval submarines to the Canadian navy.

The submarine is set to travel from Jinhae to Victoria in western Canada to participate in the combined drills scheduled for June, according to the Navy. It will make stops in Guam and Hawaii for replenishment, with two Canadian submariners set to join South Korean crew members for the final leg of the trip from Hawaii to Victoria.

When completed in late May, it will mark the longest distance a South Korean submarine has traveled.

Following the joint drills, the submarine will also participate in the U.S.-led multinational Rim of the Pacific exercise in Hawaii in late June before returning home.

To mark the departure, the Navy held a ceremony earlier in the day at the Submarine Force Command at a major naval base in Jinhae, some 310 km southeast of Seoul, attended by key officials, including the vice naval chief and the chief of the state arms procurement agency.

Also attending the event were foreign dignitaries, including Canadian Ambassador to South Korea Philippe Lafortune and British Ambassador to South Korea Colin Crooks, the Navy said.

Calling the itinerary a "great voyage," Naval Chief of Operations Adm. Kim Kyung-ryul said he hopes the overseas training will serve as an opportunity to showcase the capabilities of South Korean submarines.

Lee Yong-cheol, chief of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, said the trip by the ROKS Dosan Ahn Chang-ho will become a "driving force" for the Navy and the arms industry.

"It will be a milestone in expanding cooperation with friendly nations, such as Canada and Britain, while reaffirming the status of our Navy and the potential of the South Korean arms industry," Lee said.

South Korea has been ramping up efforts to win the major submarine bid, valued at around 60 trillion won (US$40 billion).

Last month, relevant government ministries, including the defense, foreign and industrial ministries, as well as the Navy, and defense firms Hanwha Ocean Co. and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., signed an official document confirming government support for the bid.

In December, Canadian submariners joined South Korean submariners aboard the ROKS Ahn Mu, another 3,000-ton submarine, during the Silent Shark drills, a combined anti-submarine warfare exercise jointly held by South Korea and the United States near Guam.

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