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New Delhi and Seoul are in discussions to deepen their bilateral partnership by strengthening cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.
South Korea is considering joining the India-led Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI), which aims to restore maritime stability and strengthen international governance in this strategically vital region.
The IPOI was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 2019 East Asia summit in Bangkok.
“The IPOI is a comprehensive and inclusive construct for regional cooperation that is focused on seven interconnected spokes or pillars: maritime security, maritime ecology, maritime resources, disaster risk-reduction and management, trade-connectivity and maritime transport, capacity-building and resource sharing, and science, technology and academic cooperation,” India’s defence ministry said in 2022.
A number of major powers have worked with India under the IPOI. For example, the United States announced its decision to join the IPOI in June 2023. Washington will also co-lead the pillar on trade connectivity and maritime transport.
In addition, India has urged South Korea to join the International Solar Alliance (ISA)—the first multilateral institution headquartered in India, according to persons aware of the matter.
A total of 95 countries have signed and ratified the ISA agreement but South Korea has thus far refrained from joining.
Queries mailed to the ministry of external affairs and the South Korean embassy in New Delhi went unanswered.
This development comes just as India and South Korea have unveiled a new trilateral with the United States on critical technologies.
Earlier in December, the US and South Korea agreed to “hold National Security Council and National Security Office-led consultations with like-minded partners on critical and emerging technologies including through launching an informal trilateral technology dialogue with India in the first quarter of 2024.”
An increased threat from China and a shared closeness with the United States have brought New Delhi and Seoul together in recent years.
Modi met with his South Korean counterpart, Yoon Seok-Yeol, on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in September. The two leaders discussed their bilateral special strategic partnership trade, investment, defence, semiconductors and battery technology. Regional and global issues were also discussed.
Seoul has been keen to deepen its partnership with India. Under the administration of former president Moon Jae-in, the country’s “New Southern Policy” aimed to put greater focus on India and ASEAN.
“First, we will advance our special strategic partnership with India, a leading regional partner with shared values. India presents great potential for growth, having the world’s second largest population and cutting-edge IT and space technologies. We will increase strategic communication and cooperation through high-level exchanges in foreign affairs and defence, while strengthening the foundation for enhanced economic cooperation by upgrading the ROK-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA),” reads Korea’s newly released Indo-Pacific strategy, laying out its emphasis on closer ties with India.
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Published: 21 Dec 2023, 02:23 PM IST
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