A South Korean Navy frigate under construction at SK Oceanplant undergoes sea trials. [SK Oceanplant]
A South Korean Navy frigate under construction at SK Oceanplant undergoes sea trials. [SK Oceanplant]

Shortly after South Korea failed to win Canada's submarine procurement program, the United States reached out to Korean shipbuilders to assess their capacity to build warships, including combat vessels. The development has renewed calls for a dedicated defense export secretary at Cheong Wa Dae — a permanent control tower that could link strategic opportunities to actual contracts by combining finance, diplomacy and industrial policy into a coordinated "package" approach.

According to the defense industry Thursday, the US Defense Department and the US Navy recently sent requests for information to domestic shipbuilders covering combat vessels and replenishment ships. An RFI is a preliminary survey conducted before a project moves forward, gathering data on price, delivery terms, construction capability and production facilities. HD Hyundai Heavy and Hanwha Ocean submitted materials on their combat vessel design and construction capabilities, while Samsung Heavy Industries joined the other two for the replenishment ship category — meaning all three major Korean shipbuilders responded.

The industry is reading the RFI as more than a routine technical inquiry. The US included combat vessels in its request — a category where overseas construction is strictly restricted. Congress is currently processing legislation to permit foreign construction of two non-combat ships, a strategic sealift vessel and a bulk fuel carrier, but combat vessels remain subject to regulation.

The Pentagon has also shown strong interest in the South Korean Navy's latest 3,600-ton Chungnam-class frigate. The Chungnam class measures 129 meters in length and 14.8 meters in beam, and features significantly enhanced anti-air, anti-submarine and detection capabilities. A Pentagon inspection team visited SK Oceanplant's Goseong yard in May to examine the frigate under construction firsthand.

Industry analysts say the US is actively considering expanded cooperation with Korea to address delays in its own warship procurement.

Turning that opportunity into actual export contracts will require a strategic government response, however. As the recent Canada loss illustrated, even a technically competitive bid can fail when outmatched in a "package competition" that combines financing, diplomacy and policy support.

Adding to the complexity, the US House of Representatives has moved to frame South Korean government regulations and investigations related to Coupang Inc. as a trade and political issue, raising concerns that a private corporate dispute could ripple into the broader environment for Korea-US security cooperation and defense business.

Those concerns are amplifying calls for creating a defense export secretary within Cheong Wa Dae, holding an annual presidential defense export promotion conference, and institutionalizing a pan-government coordination framework chaired by the defense minister. Without an integrated decision-making structure spanning the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, South Korea will struggle to compete in major procurement contests.

Financial and institutional support must accompany any structural reform. Without progress on a Korea-US defense research and development cooperation agreement and expanded R&D tax credits for the defense sector, Korea risks repeating a pattern of winning on performance but losing on the overall package.

Kim Min-seok, a member of the Korea Defense and Security Forum, said the Canada program may be over but major procurement opportunities — including shipbuilding cooperation with the United States — remain very much alive. "If a permanent control tower is in place from the moment a project is announced, one that can precisely analyze the evaluation criteria and alliance dynamics of the partner country, it could become the catalyst for K-defense to take flight again," he said.


rimsclub@heraldcorp.com