SEOUL: South Korea's Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back on Thursday held talks with Stephen Fuhr, Canada's secretary of state for defence procurement, in Seoul to discuss arms cooperation, the defence ministry said, as Seoul seeks to win a major deal to supply naval submarines to Canada.
The meeting came as Fuhr is in South Korea for a weeklong trip that includes visits to South Korean shipyards and defence firms. His trip comes as Ottawa is set to pick a supplier for the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project, with its value estimated at 60 trillion won (USD 41 billion).
South Korea's Hanwha Ocean Co. and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. have been shortlisted as the final two contenders, alongside Germany's ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, Yonhap News Agency reported.