External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met with a delegation of special envoys from the Republic of Korea (RoK) headed by former Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum on Thursday. The discussions focused on strengthening bilateral relations in key areas, including economy, technology, defense, maritime security, and people-to-people exchanges. Jaishankar shared insights from the meeting on his official X account, stating that the talks covered economic, technological, defense, and maritime cooperation. Furthermore, the expansion of people-to-people exchanges was also addressed. The meeting is part of broader efforts by both India and South Korea to enhance cooperation in sectors like green hydrogen, shipbuilding, investment, semiconductors, and regional security, particularly within the Indo-Pacific region. Indian Ambassador to South Korea Amit Kumar also met with Kim Boo-kyum before the visit. The South Korean delegation included Representative Lee Kai Ho and Democratic Party of Korea’s Supreme Council Member Song Sun-ho. The two sides discussed the multifaceted Special Strategic Partnership and explored avenues to fortify ties in areas such as peace, prosperity, and regional connectivity. This meeting follows a recent summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in Canada last month, where both leaders expressed a shared commitment to work together in trade, investment, green energy, and emerging technology sectors. Earlier initiatives, such as Korea Plus, aim to foster Korean investments in India, and a Korea-India SME and Start-up Centre was established in Gurugram in 2019. As of June 2023, South Korea’s total foreign direct investment (FDI) in India was USD 8.02 billion.
