India and South Korea reviewed bilateral cooperation in key areas such as trade and investment, defence, technology, shipbuilding and clean energy, with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar meeting his counterpart Cho Hyun in Seoul on Wednesday to strengthen relations between the two sides.
Stressing the importance of India-South Korea relations in a complex world, Jaishankar called for a more forward-looking and contemporary relationship at a time when countries with shared values and strong mutual trust must work more closely together.
Jaishankar said on social media that discussions with Cho followed up on the outcome of South Korean President Lee Jae-myung’s visit to India in April last year. He said the two sides reviewed cooperation in political, trade, investment, defense, technology, shipbuilding, clean energy and culture, and explored opportunities in startups, financial technology and multilateral forums.
Regional developments and global issues also emerged in the meeting, which lasted nearly three hours. During the meeting, Jaishankar said that both sides feel that there is still a lot to be achieved to realize the full potential of bilateral relations.
Cho said on social media that the South Korean president’s visit to India last year helped take bilateral relations to a whole new level, and he and Jaishankar discussed how to build on achievements in sectors such as trade, investment and finance.
Cho noted that the Indian Prime Minister’s Office is currently hosting “Korea Week” to fulfill Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s promise to “directly address the challenges faced by Korean companies.” “I am grateful for India’s strong support, and Korea will soon host a similar dialogue for Indian companies in Korea,” he said.
Zhu said the two sides had in-depth exchanges on the rapidly changing global landscape and agreed to stay in close contact on the economic repercussions of developments in the Middle East.
Trade and economic relations between India and South Korea gained momentum after the implementation of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement in 2010, and the value of two-way trade will reach $25.6 billion in 2025, with India’s imports pegged at $19.2 billion. In 2022, bilateral trade reached a record high of $27.8 billion
South Korea comes in the sixteenth largest source of foreign direct investments in India, with total investments during 2025 reaching $685 million. The value of South Korea’s cumulative investments since 1980 amounts to about $10 billion.
