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South Korea·India·Vietnam·Diplomacy

South Korea and India strengthen special strategic partnership during presidential visit[Updated]

Monday, 20 April 2026, 06:11 · 2 min read
Updates
39d

At a business forum held in New Delhi following the summit, President Lee called on both countries to harness India's economic dynamism as a driver for growth, describing bilateral ties as entering a new phase and urging a move beyond past frameworks to address shared challenges including global supply chain restructuring, digital transformation, and the climate crisis. Lee noted that the current trade level remains insufficient relative to the scale of India's economy — now the world's fourth largest — and pressed for deeper investment and cooperation in advanced technologies. Modi, speaking at the joint press announcement, said India would strengthen cooperation with South Korea in key technologies and supply chains to promote shared prosperity.

Sources
39d

Following Monday's summit, Modi and Lee announced a joint target to double bilateral trade from approximately $27 billion to $50 billion by 2030, with expanded cooperation spanning energy, critical minerals, semiconductors, and steel. The two countries established a ministerial-level economic cooperation committee — a first in the partnership's history — and agreed to resume negotiations on their 2010 trade agreement, with India seeking more balanced trade and South Korea pushing for greater market access. Lee also flagged that both nations would work to ensure stable supplies of energy resources and key raw materials such as naphtha amid global energy pressures linked to the US-Israel conflict with Iran.

Sources
Original story

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung arrived in New Delhi on Sunday to hold summit talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a visit expected to deepen the two countries' special strategic partnership across defence, technology, and economic cooperation.

Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met with President Lee on Sunday as the visit got underway, expressing confidence that talks between the two leaders would bolster bilateral ties. The summit, scheduled for Monday, marks the third in-person meeting between Lee and Modi, following earlier encounters on the sidelines of the G7 and G20 summits last year. South Korea's National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said the talks are expected to focus on expanding cooperation in shipbuilding, maritime industries, artificial intelligence, and defence, as well as coordinating responses to energy supply chain uncertainties linked to ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

President Lee is also scheduled to attend a business forum in India aimed at exploring new opportunities and supporting the operations of Korean companies in the country. India represents a significant market and production hub for South Korean electronics and automotive firms, making economic engagement a central pillar of the visit.

The India leg forms the first part of a two-nation Asian swing. Lee is set to travel to Hanoi, Vietnam, on Tuesday for a state visit, where he will meet To Lam — Vietnam's president and general secretary of the ruling Communist Party — along with other senior officials. Cooperation on energy supply chains and critical minerals is expected to dominate those discussions. Lee will be the first foreign leader to visit Vietnam since To Lam consolidated his authority by taking on the country's two most powerful positions earlier this month.

The broader diplomatic tour reflects Seoul's strategic intent to strengthen ties with fast-growing Asian economies at a time of global supply chain disruption. For India, the visit underlines its growing prominence as a partner for technologically advanced nations seeking to diversify economic and security relationships across the Indo-Pacific.

Sources
The Hindu — Confident PM Modi-President Lee talks will bolster our special strategic ties with South Korea: Jaishankar ↗︎Yonhap — Lee set to depart for India on two-nation Asia swing ↗︎
This article was automatically compiled by AI from the sources above. It may contain inaccuracies. Always read the original sources for the full context.