Date for 2025 Korea-Canada Defense Industry Cooperation Roadshow confirmed
We finally have a date for the famed 2025 Korea-Canada De fense Industry Cooperation Roadshow.
Korean sources are the first to publicly reveal that the Roadshow will take place on Friday, November 7, 2025. The location, outside of it being in Ottawa, has not been revealed.
The show is being hosted by the Canada Commercial Corporation (CCC) in partnership with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI).
The show will feature a number of different events including seminars (organization and technology presentations, etc.), export consultation meetings, 1:1 consultations between Korean and Canadian defense companies, and discussions on signing cooperation MOU.
The Koreans were happy enough to release a timeline, as well as a rudimentary schedule. Please be ad used that I have included both the Korean and English versions, the English being to the best of translation.
To those of you with an interest in attending, be on the lookout! You now have a date, place, and who to contact. This is a wonderful opportunity for you to meet with your Korean counterparts ahead of several potential competitions!
As many of you who follow me know, this show has been in the works for almost a year now. The Roadshow was originally announced as part of the 2025 South Korea-Canada Defense Industry Cooperation Plan set out at the 3rd Joint Meeting back in March. We reported on it at the time. It was one of our first reports!
The original plan was for the show to be held this month, but I guess plans shifted. This also means the show will happen just over a week after Prime Minister Mark Carney is supposed to be visiting Korea for APEC 2025.
This has been a massively active year for the Koreans and Canada. We have had almost a dozen seperate visits between DAPA, Government officials, and various companies.
Since the beginning of August alone we have had Deputy Minister Beck meeting with DAPA director Seok and visiting Hanwha’s yard in Geoje while at the Seoul Defence Dialog.
We had Ambassador to South Korea Philippe Lafortune making a very publicized visit to Hyundai Heavy Industries, at the same time as Hanwha was on a promotional blitz at DEFSEC Atlantic
Even in the last week we've had the publicized Korean National and Armed Forces Day Celebration in Ottawa and the First Korea-Canada Foreign and Defense (2+2) Director-General-Level Meeting.
They even had time to sit down and talk to me!
This isnt counting CANSEC, the multiple diplomatic trips, the selection of Rep. Kim Byung-joo as Special Envoy to Canda, the opening of a new Hanwha office, and a new MOU between DAPA and the CGAI. That trip also included a number of meetings.
They even showed up at Wayne Eyre front door to try and get him involved in everything! They're pulling out side characters by this point.
I don't wanna turn this into another rsnt about how active and aggressive the Koreans are. I feel I say that a lot. I will note that I feel I've talked more about the Korean-Canadian Defence relationship than almost anyone on Earth.
TNSR has been the only publication covering these developments in detail, and I am very proud of that. I also really should start learning Korean, or publishing in it with how much I talk about it!
Enough bragging though. This is about the Roadshow. This is a great idea, and I would love to see this concept extended to a lot more partners out there.
Everyone knows I love these kinds of events. I only wish I could attend myself! The fact remains that the last year of developments are the things we want to see. This is the level of relationship development that the government has often touted as the goal elsewhere.
That makes it weird that it isnt highlighted a lot more. It should. The last year of Canadian-Korean relationships, esepcially on defence, should be the basis of excitement and exchange that we aim for eith other key, high-priority partners.
It will likely be the cap-off for these developments this year as well. I can't think of anything else coming this year, and it will be hard to top this and the Carney visit coming basically back to back.
Anywho, this is a massive opportunity! Obviously I exist outside industry, but I do recommend those of you with the chance to attend take the leap. The Korean side of things is taking this very seriously, and a lot of heaby hitters seem to be attending.
A lot of the Korean companies rarely come here, even during CANSEC, so this is indeed a rare chance to meet some unique people!