South Korea's Prime Minister Kim Min-seok (second from left, front) and Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney (third from left, front) are seen during Carney's visit to South Korean shipmaker Hanwha Ocean's shipyard in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, on Thursday. (Photo courtesy of Hanwha Ocean)
South Korea's Prime Minister Kim Min-seok (second from left, front) and Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney (third from left, front) are seen during Carney's visit to South Korean shipmaker Hanwha Ocean's shipyard in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, on Thursday. (Photo courtesy of Hanwha Ocean)

A South Korean lawmaker said Monday that the country's one-stop-shop model could create a competitive edge over rival German companies in bidding for the Canadian Navy's planned procurement of 12 new attack submarines.

Calling the submarines strategic assets that "require support throughout their entire lifecycle," from training to maintenance, components, improvements and operation, Rep. Kim Byung-joo, lawmaker of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, said that South Korea has both the capability and the track record to provide all of these stages in a package.

"I am confident that providing an integrated package tailored to Canada's needs will be key to expanding defense cooperation with Canada," said Kim, a retired Army general-turned-lawmaker, speaking Monday in a parliamentary forum he hosted at the National Assembly.

"We must ensure that Canada regards Korea as a responsible partner from start to finish."

Kim, who was President Lee Jae Myung's special envoy to Canada in July, also called for a concerted effort by the government, parliament, enterprises and financiers.

Rep. Kim Byung-joo speaks at a parliamentary forum at the National Assembly in Seoul Monday (Yonhap)
Rep. Kim Byung-joo speaks at a parliamentary forum at the National Assembly in Seoul Monday (Yonhap)

At the forum, Minister of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration Lee Yong-cheol echoed Kim's view that a comprehensive package, based on cooperation between Lee's office and relevant government ministries, must be presented to Canada to maintain a competitive edge over Germany.

Rep. Maeng Sung-kyu, representative of Korea-Canada Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group, said South Korea's government should take the helm in securing the deal at the government level.

Contenders for the multibillion-dollar submarine deal were shortlisted last year to companies in South Korea and Germany, and boosting defense exports is considered a central policy agenda of the liberal Lee Jae Myung administration.

Given that South Korea is not part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, of which Canada and Norway are members, Wi Sung-lac, director of national security at Cheong Wa Dae, assessed in December that while South Korea trails Germany in terms of security cooperation with Canada, it might not lag in submarine construction technology and investment capacity.


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