Canada's submarine decision should not derail strategic partnership with South Korea

It was clearly disappointing to Seoul that Hanwha Ocean lost out in its bid to supply Canada’s next-generation submarines.

The failure to secure the contract, which was announced earlier this month ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara, meant that South Korea was losing a significant opportunity to supply defense equipment to a key partner, G7 member and Five Eyes member.

However, this one procurement decision should not be allowed to negatively impact a developing strategic partnership that has already grown to be significant for both parties.

Defense procurement, by definition, is competitive.

There are going to be winners and losers.

A strategic partnership, however, should be viewed over a period spanning decades.

Perhaps one benefit of the submarine decision is to remind both Ottawa and Seoul of their obligation to grow and expand defense cooperation between them beyond large-scale procurements.

Since 2018, the Canada-South Korea relationship has made tremendous strides.

Once largely considered a trade-based partnership, the relationship has transitioned toward becoming a strategic ...