EAM Jaishankar, South Korean counterpart Cho Hyun review ties, opportunities in startups
Seoul, June 24
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar held a meeting with his South Korean counterpart Cho Hyun in Seoul on Wednesday and reviewed cooperation across shipbuilding, trade, investments, defence, technology, clean energy, culture and P2P domains.
EAM Jaishankar and Cho Hyun also spoke about opportunities in startups, fintech and multilateral fora.
Following their meeting, EAM Jaishankar in a post on X wrote, "Pleased to meet FM Cho Hyun of RoK in Seoul today. Our discussions followed upon the outcomes of recent visit of President Lee Jae Myung to India. We reviewed our cooperation across political, shipbuilding, trade, investments, defence, technology, clean energy, culture and P2P domains. As well as opportunities in startups, fintech and multilateral fora. Also exchanged views on development in our respective regions and around the world."
Cho Hyun noted that President Lee Jae Myung's State visit to India in April last year provided the momentum to elevate South Korea-India ties to a new level. Cho Hyun said he and EAM Jaishankar assessed the swift progress on follow-up measures in areas like trade, investment, and finance, as agreed during last April's summit, and discussed ways to advance them further.
"This week, the Prime Minister's Office of India is hosting 'Korea Week', fulfilling Prime Minister Modi's commitment made during the summit to directly explore solutions to the challenges faced by our companies in India. While expressing my gratitude for India's full support, I also conveyed that we will soon hold a similar roundtable for Indian companies entering the Korean market," Cho Hyun posted on X.
"Over the subsequent lunch, Minister Jaishankar and I engaged in an in-depth discussion on the rapidly changing global situation. Our two countries also agreed to maintain close communication in responding to the economic ripple effects stemming from changes in the Middle East situation. Minister Jaishankar and I are scheduled to meet again tomorrow at the Jeju Forum. I look forward to his sharp perspective and profound insights on bilateral relations and the international landscape shining through once more," he added.
In his opening remarks at the meeting with Cho Hyun, EAM Jaishankar said, "It's a great pleasure to be back in Seoul and to meet you and your team today for our discussions. And I agree with you, I think our meeting is very timely. Timely partly because we are following up on a presidential visit just recently. But timely also because of the state of the world and the importance of our relationship in this somewhat complicated world."
EAM Jaishankar recalled that he and Cho Hyun met in New York, Kuala Lumpur, Washington, at the G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting and during the South Korean President's recent visit to India.
Highlighting the role of both foreign ministers to advance bilateral ties, he said, "I do think today that as foreign ministers, it is clearly our responsibility to take this relationship forward, to oversee what different parts of the government and different parts of our economy, of our country, do with each other in their interactions. In coordinating that and in really, I would say, fashioning a more forward-looking, a more contemporary relationship in a more difficult world."
"And that world, minister, particularly requires, I think, countries that are like-minded, countries with shared values, countries that have strong mutual trust to work with each other. Again, as you noted, the presidential visit and the meeting of our prime minister with your president (Lee Jae-myung) at the G7 in Hiroshima, these have been recent leadership occasions where guidance has been given to us on how to take those ties forward," he added.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Jaishankar ji is doing a fantastic job building bridges globally. Korea Week by PMO is a great initiative—shows we mean business about easing challenges for foreign companies. Hope Indian startups get equal access to Korean markets too. Make in India needs global partners like Korea!
Shipbuilding and defence cooperation are important, but let's not forget about the human angle. More student exchanges, cultural programs, and tourism can strengthen ties at the grassroots level. Korean drama fans in India are already doing their part! 😄 But seriously, the government should facilitate these.
While this is progress, I'm skeptical about how much translates into real benefits for common Indians. These high-level meetings often result in MoUs that gather dust. Hope this time there's concrete follow-up, especially on clean energy and fintech. Actions speak louder than joint statements. 🤔
Loved how Jaishankar mentioned the 'timely' nature of this meeting given the 'complicated world'. That's the kind of pragmatic diplomacy India needs. Korea is a key partner in the Indo-Pacific—let's leverage this relationship to counterbalance China's dominance. Also glad to see 'Korea Week' happening! 🎉
Honestly, the Middle East situation affecting us both shows how interconnected we are. India and Korea should jointly work on supply chain resilience—startups can help with that. But I wish the article mentioned tech transfer commitments. We don't just need investments; we need technology sharing for Make in India to succeed.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.