External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday held extensive talks with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun in Seoul, with the two leaders reviewing bilateral cooperation and exchanging views on major regional and global developments.
Jaishankar is currently on a two-day visit to South Korea, the second leg of his ongoing foreign tour, following his visit to Mongolia. The discussions in Seoul focused on strengthening the India-South Korea partnership and advancing key initiatives agreed upon during South Korean President Lee Jae-myung's state visit to India in April.
"It is a great pleasure to be back in Seoul and to meet you and your team today for our discussions," Jaishankar said in his opening remarks. He noted that the meeting was particularly significant given the rapidly evolving international environment and the growing importance of ties between the two countries.
The ministers reviewed progress in areas such as trade, investment and finance, which had been identified as priority sectors during President Lee's visit.
Jaishankar stressed that both sides must work to unlock the full potential of the relationship and build a more contemporary and future-oriented partnership.
"The potential of our relationship remains to be realised, and from our side, there is a full commitment that we would strive to do that," he said, while also acknowledging Cho's personal efforts in strengthening bilateral engagement.
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Following the meeting, Jaishankar said in a post on social media that the two ministers had reviewed cooperation across a broad range of sectors, including political engagement, shipbuilding, trade, investments, defence, technology, clean energy, culture and people-to-people exchanges.
He added that discussions also covered emerging areas such as startups, fintech and cooperation in multilateral forums. The two sides exchanged perspectives on developments in their respective regions as well as key international issues.
The talks, which were held in Seoul, continued over lunch and lasted for nearly three hours, reflecting the breadth of issues on the bilateral agenda.
Cho described President Lee's visit to India earlier this year as a major milestone in elevating relations between the two countries. He welcomed the progress achieved since then in trade, investment and financial cooperation and said both sides had discussed ways to build on those gains.
The South Korean minister also highlighted the ongoing "Korea Week" in India, describing it as a positive initiative that fulfilled Prime Minister Narendra Modi's commitment to address concerns faced by Korean businesses operating in India.
"I am grateful for India's strong support, and Korea will soon host a similar dialogue for Indian companies in Korea," Cho said in a post on X. According to Cho, the two ministers also held in-depth discussions on the rapidly changing global landscape and agreed to remain in close contact regarding the economic and strategic implications of developments in West Asia and other regions.
Jaishankar and Cho are scheduled to meet again on Thursday at the Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity, where the Indian minister will deliver the keynote address. The event is expected to provide another platform for discussions on regional cooperation, global challenges and the future direction of India-South Korea relations.
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