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| President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a joint press conference after his summit with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the presidential office in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap |
By Nam Hyun-woo
President Yoon Suk Yeol and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau agreed to expand the two countries' partnership in defense and security, hailing the recent launch of negotiations for an information security agreement between Seoul and Ottawa as a "legal basis for the two countries' cooperation."
Along with defense cooperation, Yoon and Trudeau made a series of promises for deeper bilateral relations during their summit in Seoul, Wednesday, which was held to mark the 60th anniversary of the two countries' diplomatic relations.
"We have further strengthened the legal and institutional framework to promote defense and security cooperation between our two countries," Yoon said during a joint press conference following the summit.
"The prime minister and I welcomed last December's revision of our bilateral MOU on the arms industries and logistics cooperation, as well as the start of negotiations in April for an agreement on the protection of confidential information, which will extend the scope of bilateral intelligence sharing to the defense and arms industry. The prime minister and I have agreed to sustain our support to expand the bilateral defense cooperation."
Yoon was referring to the announcement made by the foreign ministers of the two countries regarding the launch of negotiations for the information security agreement, which focuses on industrial security and defense.
The agreement, described as a legal basis for the two countries' defense cooperation, is aimed at defining processes for safeguarding each other's classified military and defense information at a level equivalent to national information.
By doing so, the scope of information protection could be expanded to private defense contractors of Korea and Canada, enabling their participation in each other's government procurement projects.
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| President Yoon Suk Yeol shakes hands with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during their summit at the presidential office in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap |
The prime minister arrived in Seoul on Tuesday before heading to Hiroshima, Japan, to attend the Group of Seven Summit this coming weekend. It is Trudeau's first visit to South Korea after he took office in November 2015 and the first visit by a Canadian prime minister to Seoul in nine years.
The two countries upgraded their bilateral relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership during Yoon's visit to Ottawa last September, which was the first bilateral visit of Yoon's presidency. During the visit, Yoon invited Trudeau to Seoul.
During the latest summit, Yoon and Trudeau said the two countries' friendship is taking a leap forward to future-oriented cooperation.
"As two North Pacific nations, as partners, as friends, it is important for us to continue strengthening our relationship in this consequential moment," Trudeau said. "Secure friendship between our countries is a special friendship. This has been true for the past 60 years. And it will continue to be true for years and decades to come."
In their joint statement, the leaders reaffirmed their "commitment to continually strengthen and expand our multifaceted comprehensive strategic partnership, including in the Indo-Pacific and North Pacific regions."
The leaders condemned North Korea's ballistic missile and nuclear programs and called on Pyongyang to return to denuclearization talks as a sustainable way forward for long-lasting peace, security and prosperity.
To deter North Korea's nuclear threats, Trudeau noted Canada had announced the extension until 2026 of Operation NEON, which is Canada's contribution to a coordinated multinational effort to support the implementation of United Nations Security Council sanctions imposed against North Korea.
The leaders also agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in economic security.
"In this era of the convergence of economy and security, we have fortified the framework for economic security cooperation," Yoon said, noting the inaugural session of high-level economic security dialogue between the two countries' respective ministers of foreign affairs and industry a day earlier.
"Going forward, the two countries will regularly consult with each other on key economic security issues, including supply chain stability and clean energy cooperation."
On the sidelines of the summit, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on cooperation in critical mineral supply chains, the clean energy transition and energy security, aimed at strengthening and securing supply chains for clean energy and critical minerals between the two countries.
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