Top diplomats of Korea, Canada vow to boost energy, defense, AI cooperation

The Korean and Canadian foreign ministers agreed Wednesday to expand cooperation in defense, energy, artificial intelligence (AI) and other major fields, Seoul's foreign ministry said. During telephone talks, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand agreed to expand "practical cooperation" in defense and the arms industry based on the countries' bilateral Security and Defense Cooperation Partnership, according to the ministry. The partnership was established in October 2025 following a summit between the countries' leaders in the southeastern city of Gyeongju, marking Canada's first such partnership with an Indo-Pacific country. The ministers also agreed to discuss cooperation in advanced technologies, including AI, on the occasion of a joint committee on science and technology scheduled to be held in Seoul next month. The two sides vowed to enhance cooperation to ensure stable energy supplies and continue bilateral and multilateral discussions on building critical mineral supply chains, as Korea's imports of Canadian crude oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) h