Anshuman Tripathi
President Lee Jae Myung’s recent visit to India has provided a timely political impetus to relations between Seoul and New Delhi. The signing of 15 memoranda of understanding underscores a mutual commitment to deepen ties. While the summit yielded welcome commercial gains, an exclusively economic focus risks missing the larger picture. In an era of geopolitical volatility, Seoul must not stop at transactional deals. Seoul should seize the opportunity to build a broader strategic partnership with India, which would help mitigate its acute vulnerabilities in maritime security, supply chains, and technological resilience.
Historically, South Korea and India share deep cultural and philosophical affinities. In modern times, however, Seoul has largely viewed India through a commercial lens — as a large and rapidly growing consumer market. Lee’s remark in New Delhi that “India is no longer just a consumer market, but a key country leading global production and supply chains” signals an important pivot. India, for its part, sees South Korea as a vital source of investment, advanced technology and industrial expertise in shipbuilding, steel, semiconductors and defense. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi captured this complementarity when he declared that “from chips to ships, from talent to technology, and from environment to energy… Korea stands as an important partner” in India’s “Viksit Bharat” vision of becoming a developed industrial nation by 2047.
