Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh welcomes South Korea’s Minister of National Defense Suh Wook as the latter arrives for a ceremonial reception in New Delhi, India, Friday, March 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Republished March 26, 2021 - 9:21 AM
Original Publication Date March 26, 2021 - 3:56 AM
NEW DELHI - Indian and South Korean defence ministers met Friday to discuss maritime co-operation as part of the Indo-Pacific strategy and also co-operation in the defence industry and future technologies, officials said.
India's defence ministry said in a tweet visiting Defence Minister Suh Wook also inaugurated an Indo-Korean friendship park in the Indian capital commemorating the contribution of Indian peacekeepers during the Korean War in 1950s.
Indian media reports say both countries have been in discussions for military platforms and weapons, especially naval shipbuilding. Korean companies are keen to build minesweepers in the country and supply a self-propelled anti-aircraft defence system to the Indian military.
Raj Kumar, an Indian defence ministry official, said all major Korean defence and shipbuilding companies have shown interest in India's defence acquisition program.
He said that India has opened up the foreign direct investment in the defence sector up to 74% from earlier 49%. “I would invite the Korean defence industry to take advantage of these investor-friendly initiatives."
The South Korean defence minister told Indian business leaders that the two countries have agreed to scale up co-operation in commerce as well as the defence sector. “The government and companies are proactively looking at defenceco-operation.”
The two countries have a logistics agreement helping the Indian navy while operating in the Indo-Pacific region.
The South Korean minister ends his three-day visit on Saturday in the city of Agra to meet personnel of India’s 60 Para Field Hospital, which provided medical aid to United Nations and South Korean personnel during the Korean War.
News from © The Associated Press, 2021