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Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi visited the Republic of Korea (ROK) at the invitation of H.E. Moon Jae-in, President of the Republic of Korea (ROK), on the 21st and 22nd of February 2019. The visit aimed to enhance India’s unique strategic partnership with the Republic of Korea (ROK) and expand bilateral commerce and cultural ties.
India and South Korea have a long-standing strategic partnership and are among the leading bilateral partners in the Indo-Pacific region. Both countries have also developed a high degree of convergence in their strategic interests, especially in the Indo-Pacific region. The countries have also witnessed significant strides in economic ties in the past few years and are expected to grow even stronger in the future. PM Modi’s South Korea visit is part of a new wave of high-level interactions between India and the Republic of Korea, which began with President Moon’s visit to India for a bilateral summit in July 2018.
Future Prospects
The relationship between India and the Republic of Korea (RoK) has grown significantly in recent years, becoming fully multifaceted as a result of a considerable convergence of interests, mutual goodwill, and high-level encounters. Bilateral consular ties were established in 1962 and elevated to ambassador-level status in 1973. During his visit, Prime Minister Modi was awarded the 2018 Seoul Peace Prize by the South Korean government at a ceremony organised by the Seoul Peace Prize Cultural Foundation on February 22 to appreciate his contributions to international collaboration, global growth, and human development.
Below is an analysis of the steps taken by the leadership of the two countries to improve bilateral ties and the prospects of this process.
India and South Korea: Strengthening Bilateral Ties
PM Modi’s South Korea visit is a clear demonstration of this steady progress. The delegation accompanying Modi included senior officials from the Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Defence and heads of major Indian public sector undertakings.
The visit has been seen as an attempt to strengthen bilateral ties with South Korea. In addition to discussing ways for further strengthening defence and trade relations, PM Modi also met President Moon Jae-in and Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon.
This visit comes at a time when India is going through a period of uncertainty in its ties with China and Japan. PM Modi’s visit to Seoul will help balance New Delhi’s approach towards Asia by reinforcing its strategic partnership with Seoul. It will be interesting to see if PM Modi’s meeting with Xi Jinping during the G-20 summit in Argentina will lead to any breakthrough in improving bilateral relations between the two countries.
South Korea Joins India in Developing Communications Network
The countries have jointly collaborated on a project to establish an intra-Asia communications network, which will provide additional data links between the two countries and the other six nations. PM Modi’s visit to South Korea has helped improve prospects of better bilateral ties with South Korea. He added in his departure speech that his visit shows the importance “We both have on our friendship”. PM Modi stated that the two countries’ collaboration in science and technology is positive, with cooperative research ranging from fundamental to advanced sciences. The agreement between New Delhi’s Act East Policy and South Korea’s New Southern Policy has highlighted the “growing depth and variety” of the two countries’ relationship.
Free Trade Agreement
India and South Korea have decided to take several steps to strengthen their relationship. For instance, both countries announced the decision to ink a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) during the prime ministerial visit of Narendra Modi to Seoul on 30 May 2019.
In addition, India has agreed to provide a line of credit worth $5 billion for developing infrastructure in South Korea. The two countries have also agreed to set up an annual strategic dialogue mechanism and establish a mechanism for sharing information on nuclear energy cooperation between the two countries. PM Modi’s visit has strongly reaffirmed the importance of this partnership and prospects for future growth.
Key Understanding reached on defence and other Issues
PM Narendra Modi’s visit to South Korea has provided a platform for greater mutual understanding between the two countries. The discussions centered on regional and global issues of common concern, such as maritime security in the Indo-Pacific region, and ways to share information and expertise on countering terrorist threats. They also agreed to collaborate on other issues, including trade and investment, clean energy, sustainability, and regional cooperation.
Conclusion
It was a fruitful summit when Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with his counterpart in South Korea, Moon Jae-in, in Seoul. The two countries agreed to strengthen bilateral ties by collaborating on developing a communications network and strengthening defence cooperation. The two leaders also focussed on the pressing issue of North Korea, who has recently conducted a series of missile tests, as well as on the global climate change agreement. The meeting had significant implications for India’s future prospects with South Korea. There is a lot of scope for more cooperation in areas such as shipbuilding, rail and other infrastructure development. South Korea and India have a strong convergence on several subjects, and their relationship cannot be described as transactional.
