President Lee Jae Myung (right) and his chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik ascend the stairs at the main building of Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, May 6. (Yonhap) Kang Hoon-sik, chief of staff for President Lee Jae Myung, flew to Canada on Sunday as a special envoy of the president.Kang said via Facebook just before his departure from Seoul that his trip to Canada is intended to expand strategic cooperation between the two countries in the field of energy, resources, supply chain and advanced technologies.He added that he was leading a delegation of the Lee administration, comprising officials from the Industry Ministry and Foreign Ministry, as well as South Korean entrepreneurs in relevant industries.The trip comes as the two countries acknowledge that their economies are mutually complementary against the backdrop of lingering conflict in the Middle East, with great potential synergy for bilateral cooperation as middle-power countries.His trip follows a previous journey in January where Kang held talks with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to discuss Canada's submarine acquisition deal. Canada is expected to soon choose a preferred bidder for its blockbuster submarine deal. A consortium of South Korean firms is one of two contenders.