It looks like Korea may have found yet another foreign export market for its defense products:
This photo, taken on Feb. 3, 2026, and provided by Hanwha Aerospace Co., shows (from L) Son Jae-il, president and CEO of Hanwha Aerospace; Stephen Fuhr, Canada’s secretary of state for defense procurement; and Philippe Lafortune, Canadian ambassador to South Korea, posing during their visit to the company’s plants in Changwon, about 360 kilometers south of Seoul.
Stephen Fuhr, Canada’s secretary of state for defense procurement, visited Hanwha Aerospace’s plants in Changwon, about 360 kilometers south of Seoul, following a visit to Hanwha Ocean Co.’s shipyard in Geoje the previous day.
The visit was aimed at assessing South Korea’s defense industry capabilities ahead of Canada’s large-scale military modernization program known as the indirect fire modernization (IFM) initiative, the company said.
Canada plans to deploy about 250 infantry fighting vehicles in its army by 2030, six years earlier than originally scheduled.
The Canadian delegation, consisting of about 30 members led by Fuhr, toured production lines for the K9 self-propelled howitzers and the Chunmoo multiple rocket launcher system (MRLS), and observed live mobility demonstrations of the K9, the Redback armored fighting vehicle and the K21 infantry fighting vehicle.
During the visit, Hanwha Aerospace proposed an integrated firepower and maneuver solution combining the K9 self-propelled howitzers, the MRLS and the Redback vehicle. The K9 howitzers are currently operated by more than 10 countries, including six members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
You can read more at the link.
In more submarine news, a ROK firm is going all in to win a contract to build 12 subs for the Canadians:
Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Euisun joined a Korean government delegation to assist Korean shipbuilders’ bid to supply patrol submarines for the Royal Canadian Navy.
According to industry and government officials, Chung flew to Canada on Monday to join the delegation comprised of government officials including presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik and Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan. Hanwha Group Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan and Joo Won-ho, head of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ (HD HHI) Naval & Special Ship Business Unit, will also join the delegation.
Hanwha Group’s shipbuilding arm, Hanwha Ocean, has formed a consortium with HD HHI to bid on Canada’s Patrol Submarine Project (CPSP), a 60 billion Canadian dollar ($43 billion) program to procure 12 diesel submarines for the Royal Canadian Navy.
You can read more at the link.
It will be interesting to see if South Korea agrees to this because they would indirectly be seen by Russia as supporting the Ukrainians with arms:
The South Korean government has been reviewing the export of artillery shells to Canada in a bid to help the country replenish its depleted weapons stocks sent to Ukraine.
Canada recently asked if South Korea is able to export 100,000 rounds of 155 mm artillery ammunition through a diplomatic channel, a South Korean senior official at the Defense Ministry confirmed to The Korea Herald on Monday.
The South Korean official said the government has not yet formally begun procedures to proceed with the export. But the military has been reviewing whether it is capable of supplying the artillery shells in light of its weapons stocks and readiness posture.
Canada made the request to fill up its ammunition stocks which have been exhausted due to its lethal aid to war-torn Ukraine, according to the official.
Korea Herald
You can read more at the link.
If you have the Canadians angry at you then you know you have done something wrong:
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau warned China on Tuesday that its “coercive diplomacy,” repressive measures in Hong Kong and detention of Uighur Muslims are counterproductive for itself and the rest of the world.
Korea Times
Trudeau took aim at Beijing’s record as he marked the 50th anniversary of Canada’s diplomatic ties with China.
“We will remain absolutely committed to working with our allies to ensure that China’s approach of coercive diplomacy, its arbitrary detention of two Canadian citizens alongside other citizens of other countries around the world is not viewed as a successful tactic by them,” Trudeau said at a press conference.
You can read more at the link.
It appears that the U.S.’s efforts to go after Chinese telecom giant Huawei for their state sponsored spying is having a great positive business impact for Samsung:
The move announced on Friday comes as the tech giant is dominating the network equipment sector at a time when telecom companies in different countries are shunning Huawei, the top supplier of network equipment, over security concerns.
Joong Ang Ilbo
“Samsung is rapidly expanding its customer pool, signing four new 5G contracts in the last seven months, including with operators in Canada, the United States and New Zealand,” it said in a statement.
Back in March, Samsung announced it will supply 5G new radio solutions, including Massive MIMO radios, to Spark New Zealand, the largest telecom provider in the country.
You can read more at the link.
