Jaishankar Meets South Korean Envoys: Discusses Defence, Maritime, and Tech Cooperation

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held discussions with a delegation of special envoys from the Republic of Korea (RoK) on Thursday, led by former Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum. The meeting focused on enhancing bilateral relations across various key sectors, including economy, technology, defence, maritime security, and people-to-people exchanges. Jaishankar shared details of the meeting on his official X account. He stated, “Delighted to meet RoK President Lee Jae Myung’s delegation of Special Envoys to India led by former PM Kim Boo-kyum this morning in Delhi. Discussed economic, technology, defence and maritime cooperation. As well as expanding people-to-people exchanges.” The discussions reflect a shared commitment to strengthen the Special Strategic Partnership between the two nations and explore opportunities in areas such as peace, prosperity, and regional connectivity. The meeting followed a recent interaction between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in Canada last month, where both leaders expressed their commitment to collaboration in trade, investment, green energy, and emerging technologies. Initiatives like Korea Plus and the Korea-India SME and Start-up Centre in Gurugram were highlighted as examples of ongoing efforts to promote investment and cooperation. As of June 2023, South Korea’s total foreign direct investment (FDI) in India reached USD 8.02 billion.