Indian NDC delegation in South Korea for strategic orientation tour
Seoul, June 9
A triservice delegation from the National Defence College of India is visiting military institutions and the defence industries of South Korea as part of a Strategic Orientation Tour.
The Indian Embassy in Korea on Tuesday welcomed the NDC delegation, which also included officers from several friendly nations.
"The Embassy welcomed the Triservice delegation from the National Defence College of India, led by Maj Gen APS Bal, including officers from friendly nations of Brazil, Indonesia, Maldives, the US and the UK," the Embassy of India in Seoul wrote on X.
"The NDC delegation will visit key government establishments, military institutions, defence industry and cultural heritage sites of South Korea as part of their Strategic Orientation Tour," it added.
Last month, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held a meeting with South Korean Minister for Defence Acquisition Programme Administration, Lee Yong-chul, in Seoul, with both sides agreeing to make efforts to create avenues for joint development, production and exports.
In April, at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President of South Korea Lee Jae Myung paid a State Visit to India.
They held a meeting on 20th April where they underscored their respective Governments' commitment to work together in concrete ways in multiple domains to bring lasting prosperity, peace and progress to their peoples and to foster meaningful cooperation among them in a turbulent and fast-changing world.
Both leaders announced the Joint Strategic Vision for implementing and adding further content to the India-ROK Special Strategic Partnership in the next five years (2026-2030).
According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the two leaders underscored the strategic importance of India-ROK cooperation in defence industries by reinvigorating the 2020 MOU on 'Roadmap to Defence Industry Cooperation'.
The two leaders also decided to launch a 'Korea-India Defence Accelerator' (KIND-X) innovation platform to connect businesses, incubators, investors, defence start-ups and universities from both sides.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Good initiative but I hope our government focuses on domestic defence manufacturing too. We can't just be buyers forever. South Korea has shown how to build a self-reliant defence industry - we should learn from their model. "Make in India" needs to be more than just a slogan.
As someone who works in the defence sector, this strategic orientation tour is excellent for building trust between our countries. The inclusion of officers from the US and UK shows the growing interoperability between partner nations. Looking forward to seeing concrete outcomes from these visits.
I remember when South Korea was a poor country in the 60s, look at them now - they're a global leader in tech and defence. India can learn a lot from their journey. The K9 Vajra howitzers made under Make in India are proof that this partnership works. Jai Hind! 🇮🇳
This is good but I wish our media would report more on such positive diplomatic visits rather than just focusing on controversies. The NDC delegation visiting cultural heritage sites alongside military institutions shows the comprehensive nature of our partnership. Both nations have ancient civilisations - there's so much we can share beyond just defence.
Interesting to see the strategic importance of South Korea being recognised by India. In a volatile world, such partnerships matter. The joint strategic vision for 2026-2030 sounds ambitious - let's hope both nations deliver on the promises. The inclusion of friendly nations in this tour is a smart diplomatic move too.
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