India and South Korea sought to broaden their partnership beyond traditional pillars such as trade and investment, with innovation and technology emerging as key themes during talks in Seoul…reports Asian Lite News Desk
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun on Wednesday reviewed the full spectrum of bilateral cooperation and explored opportunities for deeper collaboration in emerging sectors such as startups and fintech during talks in Seoul.
The discussions covered a wide range of areas, including trade, investment, shipbuilding, defence, technology, clean energy, culture and people-to-people exchanges, as both sides sought to build on the momentum generated by recent high-level engagements between the two countries.
Following the meeting, Jaishankar said the talks drew upon the outcomes of South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s recent visit to India and focused on strengthening cooperation across key sectors.
“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,” Jaishankar posted on X.
The two ministers also exchanged views on regional and global developments and discussed the evolving international situation.
Cho Hyun highlighted the importance of President Lee’s visit to India, saying it had provided fresh momentum for elevating bilateral relations. He noted that both sides reviewed progress on follow-up measures agreed during last year’s summit, particularly in trade, investment and finance, and explored ways to advance them further.
Referring to “Korea Week” being hosted by India’s Prime Minister’s Office, Cho said the initiative reflected Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment to addressing concerns faced by Korean companies operating in India. He also announced plans to organise a similar roundtable in South Korea for Indian businesses seeking to enter the Korean market.
The ministers further discussed the global economic impact of developments in the Middle East and agreed to maintain close coordination in responding to emerging challenges.
In his opening remarks, Jaishankar stressed the importance of strengthening ties between like-minded countries in an increasingly complex global environment. He said India and South Korea shared strong mutual trust and common values, making closer cooperation more important than ever.
He also underlined the responsibility of both foreign ministers to shape a forward-looking partnership and ensure effective coordination across governments, businesses and institutions.
The two leaders are scheduled to meet again on the sidelines of the Jeju Forum, where they are expected to continue discussions on bilateral relations and international issues.
