“Prime Minister Modi and President Yoon vow to further promote bilateral ties”

By Publisher Lee Kyung-sik with Deputy Editor Joseph Sung, Reporter Richard Park

Ambassador Amit Kumar of the Republic of India in Seoul said, “As you would be aware, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Yoon Suk-Yeol have exchanged congratulatory letters, and they also conveyed their intent to further consolidate, deepen and advance our Special Strategic Partnership.”

Ambassador Kumar made the impressive statement in English and then in Korean at a reception he and Madam Kumar hosted at the Embassy of India in Seoul to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and India which was concluded on Dec. 10, 1973.

The reception was held on two floors of the Embassy building, one for the official celebration and the other for a reception where the guests had their fill of the delicacies and traditional foods of India, including the representative bread of India called ‘Nun’ which has already become famous in Korean.

To many Korean guests, Ambassador Kumar’s Korean-language remarks were as good as those spoken by a native Korean.

The reception was attended many distinguished guests from the Korea society and the international community in Seoul as well as the members of the Seoul Diplomatic Corps.

Among the guests in attendance were Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Political Affairs Chung Byung-won, Ambassador Shin Bongkil (president of Korean Council on Foreign Relations), Vice Chairman Kwon Ki-chang of KOIMA and Chairman Anil Sinha of Indian Chamber of Commerce in Korea. From the mass communications media world in Seoul came representatives from the noted Korean and international media, who included Publisher-Chairman Lee Kyung-sik of The Korea Post (publisher 3 English and 2 Korean news publications since 1985) with his reportorial team.

Ambassador Kumar’s impressive speech was seconded to by warm congratulatory remarks by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Political Affairs Chung Byung-won of the Republic of Korea.

Deputy Minister Chung said, “Our two very friendly countries are linked by a common historical and cultural heritage, such as Buddhism and the fact that India's contribution during the Korean War exemplifies the long-standing friendship between India and South Korea.”

DPM Chung then said, “The two countries have developed a special strategic partnership in the areas of supply chain, defense, high technology, and people-to-people exchanges.”

Then he expressed hopes that the two countries will continue to expand and deepen their multi-faceted partnership based on shared democratic values and the rule of law.

Attracting the attention of the guests that evening, however, were the exquisite traditional dances of India presented by six young ladies of India, all clad in colorful traditional costumes of India. Their performances were accorded due applauses from the audience.

The Korean Foreign Ministry has a very favor view of India and bilateral relations, cooperation and friendship. According to an assessment of the bilateral relations by the Ministry, Korea’s primary focus is to expand and deepen Korea-India Special Strategic Partnership. The efforts are also geared towards ensuring the growth of the Korean corporations and looking after the welfare of the Korean community in India by enhancing mutual understanding, trust and friendship between our two peoples.

Korea-India bilateral relationship boasts of longstanding historical and cultural ties, spanning over two millennia. The two countries forged diplomatic relations in 1973, paving the way for a sound and steady development in bilateral relations across a wide range of areas, including politics, economy and culture.

The signing of the Korea-India Special Strategic partnership in 2015 and the launch of New Southern Policy, a policy that is in sync with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi government’s Act East Policy, have led to a turnaround in the bilateral ties.

The State Visits of President Moon Jae-in to India in July 2018 and of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Korea in February 2019 have further taken the bilateral ties and friendship between the two countries to a new high.

As a newly emerging power, India holds vast potential and opportunities for bilateral cooperation. Nearly 700 Korean companies, both big and small, have entered the Indian market and increased their investment.

With K-Pop and other Korean Wave contents gaining popularity among the Indian youth, interest of Indian people in Korean culture and language is steadily growing.

In milestone developments, Korean history was included in the Indian school text-books in 2018 and Korean language was offered as a foreign language in Indian secondary schools in 2020.

Around 10,000 Korean nationals live in India and they serve as the backbone of strong bilateral relationship.

Remarks by Ambassador Kumar:

H.E. Chung Byung-won, Deputy Minister for Political Affairs, MoFA

Amb Shin Bongkil, President, Korean Council on Foreign Relations

Amb Kwon Ki-chang, Vice Chairman, KOIMA

Mr. Anil Sinha, Chairman of Indian Chamber of Commerce in Korea

Friends,

First of all, let me warmly welcome you all to the Embassy. Thank you for

joining us today to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of our diplomatic relations

established on 10 December 1973.

Our friendly ties are rooted in ancient bonds of kinship, shared heritage of

Buddhism and India’s significant humanitarian contribution during the Korean

War. Recent years have witnessed a significant expansion in our bilateral

relations.

As you would be aware, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Yoon

Suk Yeol have exchanged congratulatory letters on this momentous occasion.

They also conveyed their intent to further consolidate, deepen and advance

our Special Strategic Partnership.

We are today in the midst of significant shifts globally, be it in terms of

geo-politics or geo-economics or in terms of the advent of new and emerging

technology and their strategic implications.

It is, therefore, important that India and RoK, two robust democracies and two

leading global economies, two countries with shared values, engage each

other more closely than they had done so far.

A rapidly growing USD 3.7 trillion large economy like India’s, which is

projected to grow at relatively fast rates for the next two decades, offers

significant opportunities for collaboration and partnership including in

advanced manufacturing, construction and logistics. Green Hydrogen, EVs, secondary batteries, electronics, semiconductors, AI,

digital technologies and human resource mobility are but a few new avenues

of cooperation.

India looks forward to working with the Republic of Korea to fully tap the

immense opportunities in our relationship not only bilaterally but to also

address regional and global challenges including working together for peace

and stability in the Indo-Pacific.

Today, we are:

--deepening consultations on political, security and strategic issues;

--boosting economic and commercial linkages, and expanding

discussions on new and emerging technologies, energy, infrastructure

and digital transformation;

--exploring university linkages, innovation and startups cooperation; as

well as

--enhancing people-to-people connectivity through media, tourism and

cultural exchanges.

You all have been advocates for a stronger India-RoK partnership. You have

helped raise awareness about potential cooperation, brought together relevant

stakeholders, strengthened people-to-people connectivity and promoted

mutual understanding.

I thank you all and look forward to your continued support, advice and

friendship as India and RoK chart out new areas of cooperation and build a

future oriented partnership. I am confident that this will be a hugely promising

and exciting journey.

I convey my best wishes for your good health and for the continued well-being

and prosperity of the people of our two countries.

Thank you once again for being with us this evening