South Korean, Canadian leaders vow cooperation on clean energy, North Korea threat

The leaders of South Korea and Canada on Wednesday vowed to strengthen their security and economic cooperation to address challenges posed by North Korea and expand Canadian supplies of minerals crucial to South Korea’s technology industry as they held a summit in Seoul.

The meeting between South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau came before they travel to Japan for the weekend’s Group of Seven meetings, where geopolitical uncertainties worsened by Russia’s war on Ukraine, China’s regional assertiveness and North Korea’s nuclear ambitions are expected to drive discussions.

In a joint statement issued after the meeting, the leaders condemned North Korea’s growing nuclear weapons and ballistic missile program and urged Pyongyang to return to U.S.-led denuclearization talks, which have stalled since 2019 over disagreements related to international sanctions imposed on the North.

Trudeau, the fist Canadian leader to visit South Korea in nine years, said his government remains committed to working closely with Seoul and other international partners to address the North Korean threat. He said his government will work to enhance Canada’s naval presence and participation in multinational operations to monitor the enforcement of U.N. Security Council sanctions against Pyongyang.

Yoon and Trudeau also said they will work to strengthen supply chain cooperation in clean energy and critical minerals, which they said will promote environment-friendly technologies and make the countries more competitive in global markets for batteries and zero-emission cars.

Yoon’s government has described the country’s trade relations with Canada as essential for coping with instabilities in global supply chains and energy markets. Canada is one of the world’s largest producers of fuel and gas and key minerals like nickel, lithium and cobalt, which are used by South Korean companies to manufacture electric car batteries.

Hours before his summit with Yoon, Trudeau delivered a speech to South Korean lawmakers at Seoul’s National Assembly, where he made similar comments on security and economic cooperation and responding to the North Korean threat. Trudeau was the first foreign leader to deliver a speech at South Korea’s parliament in six years, following former U.S. President Donald Trump’s speech in 2017.