Korea-India Foreign Ministers' Meeting Held

On Wednesday, June 24, Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun held talks with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, who was on an official visit to Korea following a visit to Mongolia. They discussed key bilateral issues and regional and international developments, including progress in implementing initiatives agreed during the Korean president's state visit to India in April this year.

Minister Cho welcomed External Affairs Minister Jaishankar on his first visit to Korea in 2 years since the 2024 Joint Commission of Foreign Ministers. He noted that during the Korean president's state visit to India in April, the first such visit in 8 years, the two leaders agreed to advance bilateral relations to a completely new level. Based on that agreement, he assessed that the two governments, led by their foreign ministries, have been smoothly implementing initiatives across a wide range of fields including the economy, society and culture.

Minister Jaishankar thanked Minister Cho for his hospitality. Referring to the particularly close rapport between the Korean and Indian leaders, which deepened through the state visit, and the two foreign ministers' long-standing friendship dating back to Minister Cho's tenure as ambassador to India, he proposed moving forward substantively with summit follow-up measures to bring the Korea-India Special Strategic Partnership to a qualitative new level.

Minister Cho highlighted Korea Week, being held at the Indian Prime Minister's Office this week from June 22 to 25, as a representative achievement in implementing summit follow-up measures. He explained that the Korean side had also launched an internal “Korea-India Substantive Cooperation Task Force” on Monday, April 27, to implement follow-up measures in practical cooperation fields at speed, and plans to hold a meeting soon with Indian companies operating in Korea to hear about the difficulties they face.

The two ministers also reviewed concrete progress on major summit initiatives, including negotiations to upgrade the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), shipbuilding and maritime cooperation, cooperation between small and medium-sized enterprises, finance, steel, defense and the defense industry, AI and science and technology, as well as education and culture.

Minister Cho explained the Korean government's efforts toward peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula and said he looked forward to India's constructive role, including its continued diplomatic communication with North Korea, in helping create conditions for peace on the Korean Peninsula.

The two ministers also shared assessments and exchanged views on the rapidly changing situation in the Middle East and on supply chains. They agreed that the swift and safe reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the freedom and safety of navigation for all vessels are critically important for security and the economy. They decided to maintain close communication between the two countries and continue taking part in international efforts toward those goals.

External Affairs Minister Jaishankar is scheduled to attend the Jeju Forum with Minister Cho the following day, Thursday, June 25.