Update on the Korean Special Delegation to Canada

The presidential special delegation led by Rep. Kim Byung-joo met with Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand, Minister of Defence David McGuinty, and Secretary of the Privy Council Michael Sabia in Ottawa, Canada, from Tuesday, July 22 to Wednesday, July 23, to explain the new government’s state philosophy and foreign policy, and exchanged opinions on ways to develop bilateral relations based on a “comprehensive strategic partnership.”

The special envoys conveyed President Lee Jae-myung’s personal letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney and our government’s will to deepen Korea-Canada cooperation through meetings with Canadian officials. In response, the Canadian side expressed its gratitude and evaluated the rapid normalization of the situation in Korea based on the dynamism and resilience of Korean democracy.

The special envoys announced the return of the “Democratic Republic of Korea,” emphasizing that this presidential election had great historical significance in that it peacefully regained national sovereignty and opened a new chapter in the history of Korean democracy with the power of our people. They also explained our government’s foreign policy plan to create a “globally responsible power that pragmatically responds to changes in the world order.”

In addition, our government stated that it would no longer tolerate the current situation in which inter-Korean dialogue has been cut off and North Korea’s nuclear and missile capabilities are becoming more sophisticated by the day, and that it would work to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue and establish peace on the Korean Peninsula. To this end, they expressed their hope to continue close cooperation with Canada, which has consistently supported our government’s policy of peace and denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula.

As for the detailed schedule of the visit, the special envoy met with Foreign Minister Anand on the morning of July 23 (Wednesday) and delivered the President’s personal letter to Prime Minister Carney containing the will to strengthen Korea-Canada relations, and emphasized the will of our government to expand cooperation as a key partner in the region in various fields such as security, trade, defense industry, and energy based on the “comprehensive strategic partnership” between the two countries. In addition, he expressed his hope to further promote cooperation between the two countries through active high-level exchanges including at the head of state. Minister Anand welcomed the restoration of democracy in Korea, and expressed his hope to further develop cooperation in various fields with Korea, a key partner in the region, as cooperation with countries that share key values such as democracy is more important than ever amidst the deepening complex challenges and threats in the region.

The special delegation met with Minister of National Defense McGuinty on the afternoon of Tuesday, July 22, and expressed their hope to work more closely with Canada in the future to jointly respond to various challenges in the region, and expressed their hope that cooperation in various fields such as security, defense, and energy would be further deepened, considering the complementary industrial structures of Korea and Canada.

They also expressed their hope for Korea’s active participation in the Canadian defense modernization process, and emphasized that Korea is the best partner for Canada’s next-generation submarine project and Canadian artillery project. The special delegation welcomed Minister McGuinty’s attendance at the Seoul Defense Dialogue, and suggested that they directly confirm Korea’s excellent defense capabilities through exchanges with our Ministry of National Defense and inspections of major defense facilities such as shipyards during the event.

Minister McGuinty expressed his gratitude for the special delegation’s explanation of the new government’s state administration philosophy, and expressed his hope to expand cooperation with Korea in the process of responding to Canada’s security threats and strengthening its defense capabilities, and expressed his hope that cooperation would be deepened not only in the defense industry but also in various fields such as aerospace, quantum, AI, and energy.

In addition, the special delegation met with the Secretary of the Privy Council, Sebia, on the afternoon of July 23 (Wednesday) to express gratitude to Prime Minister Carney for inviting our leader to the G7 Summit last June, and conveyed our leader’s strong will to develop bilateral relations. In addition, they stated that in the process of diversifying Canada’s economic and security partnership, they would like to deepen and develop cooperation with Korea in the areas of security, trade, defense, and energy. In particular, they stated that Korea will prepare for mutually beneficial cooperation by supporting the use of Canadian resources and strengthening local manufacturing capabilities based on its excellent technology in the defense industry, such as submarines and artillery power.

Secretary-General Sebia welcomed the restoration of democracy in Korea, a key partner country in the region, and expressed his hope to further develop close and mutually beneficial cooperation with Korea in key areas, such as the economy and security, amidst the complex challenges deepening in the region.

Meanwhile, on the morning of July 23 (Wednesday), the special envoy met with former Secretary of Defense Wayne Eyre, the first non-American and Canadian deputy commander of the UNC and a close friend of Director Kim Byung-joo, and asked General Ware, a pro-Korea resident, to play a role in expanding defense and security cooperation between Korea and Canada. General Eyre said that he is well aware of Korea’s defense industry excellence and will faithfully fulfill his role as a bridge between the two countries.

This dispatch of the Canadian special envoy is evaluated to have served as an opportunity to demonstrate the resilience of Korea's democracy to key figures in Canada's foreign affairs and security affairs, share the new government's national philosophy and foreign policy vision, and discuss in-depth ways to strengthen cooperation between the two countries as they face common challenges in the region, thereby further solidifying the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

Noah Note: We finally get some more detailed info on whats been going on so far and I must say, I like the details in the Korean press releases lol. It's nice to get a press release with basically all the details you could ask. Makes my life a hell of a lot easier.

The Canadian government hasn't really acknowledged this delegation much, outside a few social media references and one mention of Kim Byung-joo meeting Anand. Its been extremely quiet from our side. Thats typical though.

Anyways, the Delegation has already had a very busy two days. They are here until the 27th so I expect they'll meet with several more officials between them, although it seems the bulk of the trip came in just the last two days!

The delegation met with:

• Minister of National Defense David McGuinty

• Minister of Foreign Minister Anita Anand

• Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet Michael Sabia

In the last two days, with the primary focus obviously being on defence matters. A keen eye might also notice the repeat messaging of ‘The return of the Democratic Republic of Korea"‘ Laden through the press release.

This isnt exclusive to us but I did want to highlight it. After the attempted coup this year, the new Korean government under Lee Jae Myung seems to be on a bit of a reputation rebuild. Obviously, coupled attempts do not make for good marketing when trying to sign someone on to a multi-billion dollar partnership.

Yet the highlighting here seems to be very deliberate in trying to close the door and ensure that Korea remains a stable partner. To their credit I have never heard anyone on the navy or government side who has raised this issue as a decision factor. Perhaps it has had some discussions but its clearly a message they believe important enough to highlight.

There is far more concern on South Koreas ability to supply us if a war with the North kicks off, by a longshot. I would argue even with someone like the Germans that would be a concern, as if anyone if the European countries are free from having their shipbuilding infrastructure targeted.

We can argue who is more likely but the risk is always there, especially as Europe grapple with active asymmetric targeting of its critical infrastructure and industries. I can understand the concern, no doubt, and Korea is likely more affected by that risk. I dont see it as a deciding factor at this time though.

Anywho, a lot of the usual talking points were shared here… highlighting local manufacturing, the focus on submarines and artillery, and the Korean desire for access to Canadian Critical Minerals.

These are things that we've been actively discussing for a while now and have been part of the Korean package for the last several years. The highlight of Local Manufacturing benefits, plus the Korean desire to invest in Canada's critical minerals and their development has long been a factor in their bid.

They've been active members in Ontario's EV expansion and the desire to get into it deeper, especially after the launch of LNG Canada, has been actively remarked as a major reason for trying to win at CPSP in an attempt to further open up the market.

Local Manufacturing has been part of every Korean bid no matter who it is it is. One of the main benefits that historically comes when you select Korean products is their openness to expand local manufacturing even for seemingly small small orders.

In this case the Koreans are again offering things such as Local Maintenance Facilities, A new Land-Based Testing facility, and battery manufacturing, including access to future battery developments.

Beyond that we don't know what else they might be offering. There is more. I know there is. I just dont know exact. There is access for Canadian companies into the Korean supply chain, including their own systems and projects. This includes companies actively partnering on CPSP with Team One Korea as well, like Cutriss-Wright, CAE, and Blackberry.

So while these aren't new things, at least in the context of CPSP, these are high level discussions and meetings to get the message out to the broader government.

For those of you who have been following this with me since the beginning this information will not be all that geoundbreaking but they are important when you're trying to sell a product as a new supplier, especially one as big as this. Its about getting out there to a new set of people, especially the likes of McGuinty.

Along with these rehashings though we do have a letter to be delivered to Prime Minister Mark Carney from President Lee Jae-myung. I am very curious what is in that letter, though sadly we are likely never to know. Shame.

We also have an open invitation to Minister McGuinty to visit Hanwha’s Geoje shipyard when he comes to the Seoul Defense Dialogue in a few months. I believe the events happening in October, although it might be September? I'd have to check.

This is going to be the first time Mcguinty has a proper chance to meet with Korean officials. The Koreans also expressed a desire to see a proper sit-down between President Lee Jae Myung and Prime Minister Mark Carney.

There is no 2+2 meeting this year, that will be next. However there is APEC in November, as well as a Defence Roadshow planned for October. So there will be plenty of times for people to connect with each other.

This is very much a PR trip. It is meant to be hitting these High-Level Officials to demonstrate the package that we have seen develop over the last 3 years.

This comes at a critical time. We know that CPSP is going to be heading to the RFP side soon, potentially within the next couple weeks, two or three months at the very most.

Of course one of the most interesting things hidden in here that will likely be missed is Kim's meeting with General Eyre, former Chief of the Defense Staff. Both Kim and Eyre have a history with each other thanks to Eyres time in Korea as Deputy Commander of UNC.

I can't speak to their personal friendship but it's very interesting to see them trying to get Eyre involved in this bid, especially given his close relationship to Anita Anand. It would be quite the inside voice to have if they were to get Eyre on their side as a middleman.

This is just day two. They're still here for three more days and I already feel a bit burnt lol. I feel half my posts have been Korean based, which granted it isnt like im doing it out of personal desire. I think the bulk of this trip has been settled, and likely to slow down.

You don't need me to tell you things are heating up. You only meed to observe what is happening. This is potentially the most comprehensive bid, with the most aggresive angling that I think any of us have ever seen on a project. There is taking the extra steps to promote your product, and then there is this.

One of my Korean professors used to tell us about Noon Nopi, or Eye Level. The goal of understanding and communicating at the same level as your target customer, aligning your messaging, tone, and products to meet their expectations and needs.

This sort of aggressive marketing reminds me a lot about that concept. It feels like they know the spots to hit, and what way to deliver that to match what we want. Now will that work out? It remains to be seen. You shouldn't mistake quiet from others as giving up, nor not doing anything. While the Korean side is out there it doesnt mean theyre controlling the narrative behind the scenes.

However public perception, amd being active in showcasing amd discussing your bid are indeed important, both for a new supplier into the market as well for a project eith a lot of risk attached. This level of promotion, in that regards, might end up being a big benefit that other companies have missed out on by allowing companies like Hanwha to dominate the media space.

I would hate to see complacency and slow thinking make this a boring, one-sided competition. It isnt there yet, at least to me, but it can quickly get that way.