South Korea Keen to Sell Submarines to Canada, Paper Says

South Korea has approached Canada to sell it new military equipment, including submarines, according to a Canadian daily paper.

A dozen South Korean defence industry and government officials visited Ottawa last week “with proposals to provide the Canadian Forces with a variety of new equipment, including howitzers, training aircraft, rocket launchers and submarines,” the Ottawa Citizen reported.

The approach – with vows that it is a trustworthy ally and can deliver defence systems quickly – came after controversy raged over US President Donald Trump’s move to cut military supplies to Ukraine and his threat to annex Canada amid a trade dispute that has escalated and inflamed bilateral ties.

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Trump’s calls for Canada to become the 51st US state have dumbfounded Canadians, in a manner similiar to the shock in Greenland after Trump expressed a desire for it to become a US territory.

The Ottawa Citizen said such moves shocked American allies around the world and had them “reconsidering their security arrangements.”

It noted that officials in Europe were looking to “buy more military equipment from domestic or non-American sources to reduce reliance on a country run by an increasingly erratic president.”

Indeed, the Guardian says a move to boycott Tesla electric vehicles has extended to all US goods and has now spread from Canada to Europe.

Subs ‘valuable for Arctic operations’

One of the Korean visitors to Ottawa was a retired South Korean Admiral named Steve Jeong, who is now vice-president of Hanwha Ocean. He promoted the company’s KSS-III submarine, which is currently in service, saying it could meet all of Canada’s requirements and that there could be significant benefits if Canada set up a secure supply chain.

“Once the contract is signed, we can deliver in six years,” he was quoted as saying to the Ottawa Citizen.

The South Korean submarines, three of which have been built, can operate underwater for more than three weeks, without having to surface.

They have a range of more than 7,000 nautical miles, which would make them valuable for Arctic operations, Jeong reportedly said.

Problems linked to pricey US defence systems

“Maintenance facilities would be established in Canada, and unlike with US weapon systems, the South Koreans would provide Canada with total access to the onboard technology. In addition, Hanwha has already been signing alliances with Canadian firms for potential work on the proposal,” the paper said.

South Korea supplies billions worth of military equipment to countries in Europe – tanks, missile systems, light attack aircraft and howitzers to Poland, plus howitzers also to Romania – partly because it can deliver systems much more quickly than the US.

And its weapons are compatible with common NATO standards, according to a Reuters report from October 2024.

South Korea was forced to develop a strong defence industry because of “unreasonable demands linked to US-produced equipment,” the paper said.

Canada has faced a similar dilemma because the US controls software and hardware systems needed for upgrades of F-35 fighter jets, plus key systems on new warships “allowing the Americans to hold this country hostage over future upgrades or even the provision of spare parts,” it said.

The country has spent tens of billions of dollars buying F-35s and a fleet of surface vessels (with little Canadian content).

Military leaders are reportedly split on close integration of the two countries’ defence forces.