Rajnath Singh holds meeting with South Korea's Defence Acquisition Program Administration Minister
Seoul, May 20
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday held a meeting with South Korea's Minister of Defence Acquisition Program Administration Lee Yong-Cheol.
The meeting comes as part of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's visit to South Korea to strengthen the defence cooperation between the two countries.
Earlier, Rajnath Singh held a bilateral meeting with South Korean counterpart Ahn Gyu-back in Seoul, with both sides agreeing to expand defence, cyber, and strategic cooperation as part of the growing special strategic partnership between India and South Korea.
In a post on X, Rajnath Singh called the discussions "excellent" and said the two countries explored ways to deepen defence industry ties and technological collaboration
He said, "Held an excellent meeting with my South Korean counterpart, Ahn Gyu Back in Seoul. We discussed ways to further deepen India-Republic of Korea defence, defence industry and strategic cooperation, with a shared commitment towards regional peace, stability and technological collaboration."
The meeting, according to the defence minister, resulted in the exchange of multiple agreements aimed at strengthening bilateral institutional cooperation in defence and security. According to Singh, India and South Korea exchanged agreements on promoting defence cyber collaboration between the National Defence College and the Korea National Defence University, as well as cooperation in United Nations (UN) Peacekeeping initiatives.
"It was a highly productive meeting as India and Korea exchanged Agreements on Promoting Defence Cyber Cooperation, between the National Defence College of India and the Korea National Defence University of RoK and UN Peacekeeping Cooperation, making our partnership stronger and multidimensional," Singh stated.
Meanwhile, in a significant move to bolster bilateral security ties, India and the Republic of Korea (ROK) signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), targeting enhanced cooperation in the critical domains of defence, cyber and defence information.
The agreement was signed during Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's official visit to Seoul, in the presence of his South Korean counterpart, Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back.
The MoU marks a deepening strategic alignment between New Delhi and Seoul, specifically focusing on modern warfare and intelligence challenges.
The primary areas of cooperation outlined in the agreement include collaboration on countering evolving cyber threats, protecting critical military infrastructure, and sharing best practices in digital defence and enhancing institutional mechanisms for information sharing to boost situational awareness and regional security.
Rajnath Singh arrived in Seoul on Tuesday after concluding his visit to Vietnam. He was received by the Ambassador of India to the ROK, Gourangalal Das, and senior officials.
— ANI
Reader Comments
While defence pacts are important, I hope there's also focus on people-to-people ties and economic benefits. Defence spending alone won't solve our problems - we need balanced growth. Just my two paise.
Interesting how India is building partnerships across Asia while balancing relationships with major powers. This Korea deal seems strategically smart given the regional dynamics.
Rajnath ji is doing a good job. But we also need to focus on domestic manufacturing - Make in India should be the priority. These MoUs should lead to technology transfer, not just imports. Otherwise it's same old story.
The cyber and UN peacekeeping cooperation aspects caught my eye. Those are areas where both nations can bring unique strengths. Korea's tech prowess combined with India's demographic dividend could be powerful.
Remember when India and Korea used to be just about Samsung and LG? Now we're talking defence, cyber, and strategic partnerships. Times change! Hope these MoUs translate into real on-ground cooperation, not just paperwork.
This is a positive step for regional stability in the Indo-Pacific. India and Korea share common interests in maritime security. The cyber defence cooperation is particularly timely given increasing state-sponsored attacks.