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| Advancing Indo-South Korean Ties: Insights from 10th Joint Commission Meeting |
During the 10th India-South Korea Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) convened in Seoul on March 6, 2024, India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar underscored India’s commitment to broadening its strategic alliance with South Korea, venturing into innovative domains such as critical technologies, semiconductors, and renewable energy sources like green hydrogen. The session, co-headed by Jaishankar and his South Korean counterpart Cho Tae-yul, aimed at invigorating bilateral relations to encompass contemporary and multifaceted dimensions.
Engagement Encompassing Varied Frontiers
The JCM facilitated extensive dialogues spanning defense collaboration, scientific advancements, trade dynamics, cultural exchange initiatives, and people-to-people interactions. Both parties deliberated on advancing trilateral engagements and exchanged insights concerning developments within the Indo-Pacific region, alongside other global and regional matters of shared concern.
Elevating the Strategic Nexus
Jaishankar, in his inaugural discourse, accentuated the unique strategic camaraderie forged between India and South Korea since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit in 2015. He emphasized the imperative of nurturing this alliance, acknowledging the steady progression witnessed in bilateral interactions encompassing trade, investments, defense cooperation, and scientific endeavors.
Venturing into Novel Avenues of Collaboration
India expressed a profound interest in extending the partnership's purview to include nascent arenas such as critical and emerging technologies, semiconductor industries, green hydrogen initiatives, human capital mobility, nuclear cooperation, and resilient supply chain mechanisms. These diversified realms of cooperation are envisioned to contemporize bilateral relations and render them more pertinent in the present global milieu.
Both nations have observed a convergence in their perspectives within international forums, notably concerning the Indo-Pacific region, underscoring its pivotal significance in their collaborative endeavors. India approaches the joint commission with optimism and anticipation, recognizing the substantial goodwill shared between the two nations. Jaishankar emphasized the necessity of translating this goodwill into tangible outcomes, guided by dialogues initiated during the leaders' exchanges in Hiroshima and New Delhi in the preceding year.
Cultural and Educational Synergy
During his sojourn in Seoul, Indian External Affairs Minister engaged with Gimhae City Mayor Hong Tae-yong, exploring avenues for augmented cultural and educational collaborations with Gimhae City. He underscored the Gimhae-Ayodhya connection as emblematic of shared cultural legacies and enduring people-to-people bonds, citing the historical anecdote of Queen Heo Hwang-ok (Princess Suriratna) from Ayodhya, who wedded King Kim Suro in Korea approximately two millennia ago.