New Delhi: India and South Korea on Saturday resolved to expand their strategic partnership by setting new “industrial ambition” in the areas of semiconductor, defence, clean energy, and artificial intelligence.
Ways to ramp up the overall bilateral cooperation figured prominently in talks between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his visiting South Korean counterpart, Cho Hyun.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Jaishankar and Hyun agreed to set new industrial ambitions, especially in high-tech sectors such as AI, semiconductors, clean energy, shipbuilding, and the defence industry.
The ministers took stock of bilateral cooperation, including in the political, security, trade and economy, technological, and people-to-people domains, it said.
In a social media post, Jaishankar described the talks as “productive”.
“Held productive discussions on advancing our bilateral cooperation in trade, manufacturing, maritime and people-to-people exchanges as well as new opportunities in AI, semiconductors, clean energy and defence,” he said.
Jaishankar said he and Hyun also exchanged perspectives on the Indo-Pacific region and contemporary global developments.
“Appreciated our deepening convergences and growing engagement as our Special Strategic Partnership completes 10 years,” he added.
In his opening remarks at the meeting, Jaishankar also thanked Seoul for its condemnation of the horrific April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
The external affairs minister also made a mention of Seoul’s support to an Indian parliamentary delegation that visited South Korea in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor.
“You have been barely a month in the job (as the foreign minister), the fact that you are here literally a day after your National Day, and our National Day, says a lot really about the value we attach to the relationship,” Jaishankar said.
The India-South Korea ties have been on an upswing in the last few years, especially in the areas of trade and defence.
The MEA said Jaishankar and Hyun reaffirmed the strong and growing “special strategic partnership” between the two countries.
The partnership is rooted in shared democratic values, mutual trust, shared economic interests, and commitment to regional and global peace and stability, it said.
“The ministers also shared their assessment on regional and global issues of common interest,” the MEA said in a statement.
