Seoul: President Lee Jae Myung's chief of staff is set to meet Canada's defense procurement chief later this week as part of South Korea's strategic efforts to secure a significant submarine export contract. Kang Hoon-sik, chief of staff, is scheduled to meet Stephen Fuhr, Canada's secretary of state for defense procurement, at Cheong Wa Dae on Friday, according to Lee's office.

According to Yonhap News Agency, this upcoming meeting will be the second between Kang and Fuhr in under two weeks. Previously, Kang visited Canada as a special envoy with a mission to promote South Korea's defense exports, marking their initial discussion.

Fuhr's current visit to South Korea spans a week and includes tours of South Korean shipyards and defense companies. Earlier, Fuhr met with Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back to explore wider cooperation in the security and defense sectors.

This visit by the Canadian official aligns with Ottawa's ongoing decision-making process for selecting a supplier for the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project, valued at approximately 60 trillion won (US$41 billion). South Korea's Hanwha Ocean Co. and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. have been shortlisted as the final contenders, alongside Germany's ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems.