President Lee Jae Myung speaks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi after a welcoming ceremony for Lee at India’s presidential palace in New Delhi, Monday. Yonhap
NEW DELHI — President Lee Jae Myung and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral summit in New Delhi Monday, discussing a range of issues to improve upon the landmark Korea-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) signed in 2009.
The two leaders identified new areas of collaboration in strategic sectors including shipbuilding and maritime industries, finance, artificial intelligence (AI) and defense, in addition to areas where close cooperation has already been established, such as manufacturing.
The summit comes as Korea advances its Global South diplomacy, reflecting its stance that India can become a central partner.
With a population of 1.4 billion and the world’s fourth-largest economy, India is regarded as a leading country in the Global South — a term referring to countries in the Southern Hemisphere and other developing regions with significant growth potential.
India is also seen as crucial for Lee’s pragmatic, interest-centered foreign policy amid the growing fragmentation of the global order, as well as for energy security considerations in the context of the ongoing Middle East conflict.
Source: Korea Times News
