![Presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik, right, shakes hands with Stephen Fuhr, Canada's secretary of state for defense procurement, in a photo shared on Kang's social media on Jan. 28. [SCREEN CAPTURE]](https://image.ajunews.com/content/image/2026/02/06/20260206072930266130.png)
SEOUL, February 06 (AJP) -Canada's minister for state for defense procurement Stephen Fuhr will visit the presidential office to hear last-minute pitch from Seoul on the government-sponsored Korea's bid for Canada's multibillion-dollar submarine contract ahead of the final tender submission next month.
Fuhr will meet with presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik whom he last met on Jan. 28, when Kang visited Canada as a special envoy of President Lee Jae Myung for defense industry cooperation.
According to the presidential office, Fuhr has a crucial say in the competition after Canada created a dedicated defense procurement post under the Mark Carney administration last year.
Under the CPSP, Canada plans to acquire up to 12 new 3,000-ton diesel-electric submarines. The final round has narrowed to a Korean “one-team” consortium led by Hanwha Ocean and HD Hyundai, and Germany’s Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems.
Final proposals are due in March, with a preferred bidder possibly selected in the first half of the year.
While in Korea, Fuhr conducted on-site inspections ahead of the final decision. He toured Hanwha Ocean’s Geoje shipyard and boarded a trial-stage submarine, praising its internal technology. He also visited HD Hyundai’s Global R&D Center in Seongnam.
Before coming to Korea, Fuhr inspected facilities operated by TKMS in Germany, contender the Korean team is pitted against, in December 2025.Industry sources note that “offset” negotiations — including technology transfers, local production and industrial investment — are likely to determine the outcome, as Canada increasingly aligns with European procurement frameworks.
While Ottawa's trust in Korea’s submarine technology already strong, overcoming Germany’s NATO-backed bid will depend on whether Korea can present a compelling industrial and economic package alongside its military offering.
Seoul has been extra cautious in sharing the progress in the bid, given the sensitiveness of the issue.
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