Extraordinary And Plenipotentiary Diplomatist July 19 Edition . | Page 21

G G L L O O B B A A L L C C E E N N T T R R E E S S T T
A A G G E E
INDIA-SOUTH KOREA RELATIONS AND
SITUATION ON THE KOREAN PENINSULA
Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi and the President of the Republic of South Korea, Mr. Moon Jae-in at the delegation level talks, in Seoul,
South Korea on February 22, 2019.
BY SANDIP KUMAR MISHRA*
I
ndia and South Korea have emerged as natural partners
to each other after the end of the Cold War. In subsequent
years, economic, political and strategic relations of both
countries have improved substantially. Both countries enjoy
their close proximity with the US as well as share anxieties
about the nuclear-missile technology exchanges between
North Korea and Pakistan. Moreover, India and South Korea
have had exceptional convergence of their visions about the
region. Both are concerned about the rise of an ‘assertive
China’ but rather than overtly containing China, both would
like to engage China in moderating its behaviour. Both
countries want an open multipolar Asia in which interstate
relations are institutionalized and cooperative security and
prosperity are ensured for every country. Actually, on most
of the political and security issues of the region, India and
South Korea have similar stands and thus there has been a
huge potential for cooperation between the two countries.
The current phase of the bilateral relations between India
and South Korea began with India adopting its Look East
Policy and starting liberalizing its economy in the early
1990s. South Korea, which has followed an export-led growth
model, was looking for new destinations of its exports and
South Korean businesses showed signifi cant interests in
a liberalized Indian market and resources. Thus, the fi rst
phase of the contemporary India-South Korea relations was
largely dominated by economic cooperation between the two
countries. India and South Korea, after exceptional growth in
their bilateral economic relations, signed the Comprehensive
Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in 2009 and their
bilateral trade increased massively from less than USD1
billion in 1990 to more than USD20 billion in 2012.
India and South Korea also gradually started articulating
their common security and strategic concerns and signed the
Strategic Partnership Agreement in 2010. There have been
frequent high-level visits between India and South Korea
and both countries have had several defence and defence
production related MoUs in the last few years. Moreover,
both the countries have forged a vibrant partnership in various
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Diplomatist • Vol 7 • Issue 7 • July 2019, Noida • 21