Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand and Minister of National Defence David McGuinty met with their South Korean counterparts, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and Minister of National Defence Ahn Gyuback, during the 2+2 Foreign and Defence Ministers’ Meeting held in Ottawa on 25 February 2026, where they signed a defence agreement aimed at strengthening military and industrial ties. Officially titled the Agreement on the Protection of Military and Defence Classified Information, this arrangement provides a legal framework enabling the sharing of classified military and defence information between the armed forces and defence industries of the two countries.[1]
This development is noteworthy as it coincides with a period in which geopolitical competition in the Asia-Pacific has been intensifying, North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile activities have heightened regional security concerns, and the United States (U.S.) has been expecting its allies to assume greater responsibilities. At the same time, the agreement has emerged in an international environment where the tendency of middle powers to diversify their security cooperation networks has been gaining momentum. In this context, Canada appears to have been seeking to strengthen its strategic outreach to the Asia-Pacific region in recent years. The defence agreement signed with South Korea can therefore be interpreted as a concrete indication of Ottawa’s efforts to integrate more actively into the region’s security and defence networks.
To better understand the significance of this development, it is necessary to examine the historical background of relations between Canada and South Korea. Indeed, relations between the two countries have not traditionally been characterized by a framework in which they positioned one another as primary strategic partners. Ottawa’s foreign policy and security priorities have largely been shaped by the institutionalized networks of cooperation it has established with the United States, the United Kingdom, and other members of the “Five Eyes” alliance.[2] In contrast, Seoul has primarily constructed its security architecture around its alliance with the United States and the regional dynamics of East Asia, directing its diplomatic and strategic engagement mainly toward its immediate neighborhood. For this reason, relations between the two countries have long developed within a more limited and secondary partnership framework.
However, the growing uncertainty and deepening power competition in the international system have increased the importance of more resilient partnerships among states that share similar values and strategic approaches. In this context, the Carney government appears to have sought strategic adaptation to the fluctuating geopolitical and commercial environment shaped by U.S. President Donald Trump’s return to office. Indeed, the trade tensions Canada experienced with the United States in 2025 constituted a significant development that prompted Ottawa to reassess its trade relations and diversify its defence supply chains. This situation has also accelerated Canada’s efforts to deepen cooperation with partners that share similar strategic concerns and possess advanced defence industrial capabilities.
In this context, the defence agreement signed between Canada and South Korea does not merely signify the strengthening of bilateral relations; it can also be interpreted as a reflection of middle powers’ efforts to develop closer strategic coordination in an international environment marked by intensifying great power competition. Indeed, the fact that this step was taken following Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s call for medium-sized states to pursue closer cooperation in response to the economic pressures exerted by “great powers” further underscores this strategic orientation.[3]
It should be recalled that Mark Carney, in a speech delivered in Davos in January 2026 within the framework of the World Economic Forum, drew attention to the intensifying power competition in the international system and issued a strategic call to middle-sized states. Carney emphasized that, particularly in response to the concentration of power he described as “American hegemony” and the capacity of major actors to exert pressure on smaller countries, collective action among middle powers could play a balancing role both economically and politically.[4] This discourse may be interpreted as an indication of a broader search for more multilateral and solidaristic cooperation among middle powers at the global level.
This strategic discourse and the vision of cooperation it presents demonstrate that strengthening partnerships among middle powers has become an increasingly important priority in Canada’s foreign policy agenda. Indeed, as part of Ottawa’s efforts to support this approach through concrete policy initiatives, the Canadian government has taken steps to restructure its existing strategic partnership with South Korea within a more comprehensive framework. In this regard, the governments of Ottawa and Seoul have agreed to continue the process of adapting the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Action Plan in line with evolving geopolitical conditions and the strategic priorities of their respective administrations.
During the meetings, the two sides also reached a consensus on maintaining a more comprehensive Defence Cooperation Agreement aimed at enhancing operational cooperation, increasing interoperability, and facilitating the conduct of joint training and exercises.[5] In this context, the parties agreed on a new action plan designed to institutionalize coordination in the fields of security and defence. Within the scope of this plan, it was decided to increase the number of joint exercises and to establish regular staff-level consultation mechanisms between the air forces.
In addition, the two sides agreed to continue meetings covering naval and land forces, space activities, and strategic policy issues. It was also stated that steps would be taken to enhance the sharing of knowledge and resources between the two countries in the fields of defence science, technology, and materials.[6] While Canada’s Minister of National Defence McGuinty emphasized that increasing Canada’s defence industrial capacity constitutes a vital priority, he also drew attention to the equally decisive importance of deepening partnerships in the defence sector at the global level. According to the Minister, this step represents a concrete reflection of this dual strategic necessity.
In this context, the agreement signed contributes to Canada’s efforts to strengthen its regional engagement by diversifying its defence partnerships, while also supporting South Korea’s ambitions to become a global defence supplier. Notably, the meetings took place at a time when competition had intensified over Canada’s project to procure up to 12 submarines for patrol missions, and when Seoul had increased its efforts to secure the contract. In this regard, the project is considered to represent not only an opportunity for economic gain for South Korea but also a strategic gateway that could enable it to access the defence markets of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member states more effectively. From this perspective, the agreement is expected to generate both economic and strategic benefits through cooperation in the defence industry, particularly within the framework of the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project.
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, who described Canada as “a key ally and a friend comparable to an alliance partner,”[7] stated that growing geopolitical uncertainties have led Seoul and Ottawa to pursue more comprehensive cooperation in the fields of defence and security. Drawing attention to the existence of a structural interdependence between security and economic stability, Cho emphasized that elevating the economic relations between South Korea and Canada to a more advanced level is strategically necessary.[8] In this context, Hyun expressed that steps aimed at increasing trade volume and mutual investments will continue and revealed the intention to establish closer partnerships in strategic sectors, particularly in the defence industry.
South Korean Minister of National Defense Ahn Gyuback described Canada as a key security partner for South Korea and emphasized that the two countries will act together to strengthen peace and stability across a broad geographical area extending from the Indo-Pacific to the Arctic region.[9] This assessment demonstrates that Seoul and Ottawa do not view their security perspective as confined solely to a regional framework, but rather extend it to encompass the new fronts of global power competition. Indeed, the parties draw attention to the fact that threats to security and economic stability today have become so deeply intertwined that they can no longer be addressed separately; in particular, they emphasize that the strategic dynamics between the Indo-Pacific and the Euro-Atlantic regions are increasingly intersecting and generating mutual interaction.[10]
In this context, South Korea’s engagement with NATO within the framework of the IP4—comprising Australia, Japan, and New Zealand—also demonstrates the strengthening linkage between these two security domains. Indeed, North Korea’s provision of ammunition and troops to Russia indicates that security issues on the Korean Peninsula are increasingly being directly associated with European security. Canada, as one of the founding members of NATO, emerges in this process as an actor capable of assuming an important bridging role in the strategic interaction between the two regions.
Accordingly, it can be observed that the policies of Canada and South Korea toward the Asia-Pacific largely overlap. While both countries express concern over North Korea’s military cooperation with Russia and its ongoing cyber activities, they reiterate their commitment to the goal of the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Moreover, in line with the vision of a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific,” to which they frequently refer in their official discourse, the parties support the strengthening of a rules-based regional order, advocate the preservation of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, and regard the reinforcement of the centrality of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) within the regional architecture as an important element.
In this context, it is observed that Canada regards South Korea’s gradually deepening engagement with NATO as an indicator of a reliable partnership and supports the two countries’ approach to sustaining cooperation in line with shared priorities in both the Asia-Pacific and the Euro-Atlantic security environments. Indeed, the parties reaffirmed their commitment to holding the 2+2 Foreign and Defence Ministers’ Meeting every two years in order to institutionalize this strategic dialogue and reached an agreement for the next meeting to be held in South Korea in 2028. This situation indicates that the security cooperation between the two countries is maintained not as a temporary convergence, but rather within the framework of a long-term strategic partnership.
In conclusion, the defence agreement signed between Canada and South Korea carries a broader geopolitical significance that goes beyond being merely a technical arrangement aimed at strengthening bilateral military cooperation, as it reflects the strategic positioning of middle powers in the face of transformations in the international system and deepening security vulnerabilities. Intensifying great power competition, vulnerabilities in supply chains, and the transregional nature of security threats are prompting states that share similar values and strategic priorities to pursue closer coordination. In this context, Canada and South Korea appear to have developed a shared understanding of advancing their bilateral defence and security cooperation to a higher level in order to respond more effectively to common security challenges.
Indeed, the agreement establishes an institutional framework for military, defence industrial, and strategic coordination between the two countries, thereby enabling the parties to respond more effectively to security challenges emerging at both the regional and global levels. In this respect, the deepening of defence cooperation between Ottawa and Seoul has the potential to strengthen Canada’s strategic engagement in the Asia-Pacific while expanding South Korea’s role within global defence networks; at the same time, it also stands out as a concrete reflection of the growing interaction between the Asia-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic security architectures.
[1] “Canada signs defence agreement with South Korea as it seeks to diversify trade”, India Blooms, https://www.indiablooms.com/world/canada-signs-defence-agreement-with-south-korea-as-it-seeks-to-diversify-trade/details, (Date of Access: 02.03.2026).
[2] “The Future of Canada-ROK Defence Cooperation, Canadian Global Affairs Institute, https://www.cgai.ca/pp_the_future_of_canada_rok_defence_cooperation, (Date of Access: 02.03.2026).
[3] “Canada and South Korea signs a defence agreement”, CBC, https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-korea-defence-agreement-9.7106354, (Date of Access: 02.03.2026).
[4] Ibid.
[5] “Canada signs defence agreement with South Korea as it seeks to diversify trade”, India Blooms, https://www.indiablooms.com/world/canada-signs-defence-agreement-with-south-korea-as-it-seeks-to-diversify-trade/details, (Date of Access: 02.03.2026).
[6] “Canada and South Korea enter defense agreement due to ‘unpredictable global order’, Jurist News, https://www.jurist.org/news/2026/02/canada-and-south-korea-enter-defense-agreement-due-to-unpredictable-global-order/, (Date of Access: 03.03.2026).
[7] “Korea, Canada form landmark security and defense cooperation partnership”, The Korea Times, https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/foreignaffairs/20251030/korea-canada-form-landmark-security-and-defense-cooperation-partnership, (Date of Access: 03.03.2026).
[8] “Canada-South Korea 2+2 Ministerial Talks”, Mirage News”, https://www.miragenews.com/canada-south-korea-2-2-ministerial-talks-1626870/, (Date of Access: 02.03.2026).
[9] Ibid.
[10] “Canada-Republic of Korea Security and Defence Cooperation Partnership (SDCP), Government of Canada, https://www.international.gc.ca/news-nouvelles/2025/2025-10-29-republic-korea-republique-coree.aspx?lang=eng, (Date of Access: 02.03.2026).
