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Vice defense ministers of Korea, Canada discuss arms cooperation

Published: 06 Nov. 2025, 16:16

Vice Defense Minister Lee Doo-hee and his Canadian counterpart, Stefanie Beck, hold bilateral talks in Canada, alongside officials, in this photo provided by Seoul's Defense Ministry on Nov. 6. [YONHAP]

The vice defense ministers of Korea and Canada met in Ottawa earlier this week to discuss strengthening their defense and arms industry cooperation, the Korean Defense Ministry said Thursday.

Vice Defense Minister Lee Doo-hee and his Canadian counterpart, Stefanie Beck, held talks on Wednesday and held in-depth discussions on such cooperation, according to the ministry.

The meeting came after the leaders of Korea and Canada agreed to bolster security partnership in summit talks last month.

In this week's meeting, both sides agreed to swiftly draw up follow-up measures for the establishment of a bilateral consultative body on arms cooperation as discussed in the summit talks.

Lee mentioned how Korean defense firm Hanwha Ocean was short-listed as one of the final two contenders in a major Canadian submarine contract and expressed hope the project will help strengthen their bilateral arms cooperation.

Under the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project, Ottawa plans to acquire up to 12 submarines for the Royal Canadian Navy to upgrade its submarine fleet, with an aim to receive the first new vessel by no later than 2035.

Yonhap