South Korea and Canada set out defence, energy and AI agenda after ministers’ call

South Korea and Canada agreed during an October 7 telephone call to pursue closer cooperation on defence, energy, critical minerals and advanced technology. Foreign ministers Cho Hyun and Anita Anand discussed the agenda as their governments work under existing bilateral arrangements; South Korea’s foreign ministry described plans for further talks, rather than announcing a completed project.

The ministers agreed to keep expanding practical defence and arms cooperation under the countries’ Security and Defence Cooperation Partnership, according to Seoul’s account of the call. They also looked ahead to discussions on artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies at a joint science and technology committee meeting scheduled for Seoul in November.

What the ministers discussed on energy and minerals

On energy, the South Korean ministry said the ministers discussed cooperation aimed at stable supplies around major Canadian infrastructure proposals, including LNG Canada Phase 2 and the Pacific Link western oil pipeline. The ministry said imports of Canadian crude oil and liquefied natural gas into South Korea had recently continued to rise, but its account gave no volumes or value for that increase.

They also agreed to continue bilateral and multilateral discussions about critical-mineral supply chains. The call account does not identify a new supply agreement, an investment decision or a completed infrastructure project. That distinction matters because the energy and mineral commitments described by both governments have included plans and prospective investments whose outcomes remain separate from this diplomatic discussion.

How the defence partnership frames the talks

Canada and South Korea established their Security and Defence Cooperation Partnership in October 2025. The published framework provides for ministerial and official consultations, meetings on defence materiel and research, and regular military staff talks. The ministers’ October call placed their defence agenda within that existing framework rather than creating a new partnership.

The framework says the countries will explore defence-industry cooperation, including joint development, production and support of equipment. It also identifies potential work on energy and critical minerals used in defence supply chains. Those provisions describe areas for cooperation; they do not show that a particular joint system or supply project has been delivered.

Cybersecurity, space and military applications of AI also appear in the 2025 partnership. The document calls for exchanges about the responsible use of AI and autonomy. The separate science and technology committee expected in November offers a stated occasion for discussing advanced technology, but the October call account does not announce the committee’s decisions in advance.

Existing energy plans and the next stated steps

A joint Canadian and South Korean government release in June set a target to develop a plan for critical-mineral stockpiling by the end of 2026. It also described work toward a more integrated supply-chain partnership. The ministers’ latest agreement to continue discussions follows that earlier commitment; their call readout does not say that the stockpiling plan has been finished.

The June release identified Korea Gas Corporation as an investor in LNG Canada Phase I and a prospective partner in Phase II. At the time, the governments expected a final investment decision on the second phase later in 2026. That June expectation does not establish whether a decision had been made by the date of the ministers’ October conversation.

The same release said South Korea planned to import at least 1.4 million tonnes of Canadian LNG a year for more than 30 years once Phase II reached full production, then expected in the early 2030s. Those figures describe a conditional future plan, not current shipments from the proposed second phase. The release reported that energy products were Canada’s largest export category to South Korea in 2025, valued at C$2.2 billion, followed by metal ores and non-metallic minerals at C$1.5 billion.

Beyond the economic agenda, the ministers exchanged views on regional and global issues, including the Middle East, and agreed to continue cooperating for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the region, according to Seoul’s ministry and Yonhap. The available account gives no detailed timetable for most actions discussed in the call. The November committee meeting and the earlier end-of-2026 target for a minerals plan are the clearest dated steps in the published material.