Indian Protection Minister Rajnath Singh welcomes South Korea’s Minister of Nationwide Protection Suh Wook because the latter arrives for a ceremonial reception in New Delhi, India, Friday, March 26, 2021.
Credit score: AP Picture/Manish Swarup
South Korean Protection Minister Suh Wook was in India final week, giving a lift to quickly rising India-South Korea protection and safety ties. As an Indian Ministry of Protection press launch put it, “The defence and safety engagements between India and RoK have grown exponentially over the previous few years. Newest talks explored new domains of bilateral defence cooperation and avenues to strengthen the long-standing bilateral defence partnership.”
New Delhi and Seoul raised the extent of their relations to a Particular Strategic Partnership in 2015 and since then periodic high-level visits and consultations between the 2 sides have maintained the tempo in bilateral ties.
Suh reportedly held detailed discussions on methods to strengthen India-South Korea protection exchanges and safety cooperation along with his Indian counterpart, Rajnath Singh. The 2 sides reviewed the state of relations and appreciated the depth and breadth of their bilateral protection ties throughout the three providers of the 2 militaries in addition to between the companies dealing with protection expertise and business. Following the assembly, Singh tweeted to say that they mentioned methods to deepen their protection engagements. Through the assembly, media studies famous that the 2 international locations additionally made a resolution to undertake co-production and co-development of army {hardware}, strengthen intelligence collaboration, and step up partnership in house and cyber sectors as a part of the broadened protection and safety relations. Singh had invited South Korean protection industries to put money into India throughout his go to to Seoul in 2019, stating that they may use India as a “spring board to export protection gear manufactured in India to numerous pleasant international locations in South East Asia, Center Asia, Center East Asia, South Asia and Africa.”
South Korea has additionally been eager to strengthen its presence within the Indian protection market. In 2019, the 2 international locations put in place a roadmap that may streamline and strengthen bilateral protection business collaboration. This assumes significance within the context of the Indian resolution a couple of years in the past to not use Chinese language programs and elements within the protection electronics sector. However India remains to be within the course of of building its home capabilities. Given the pressing want tackle this capability deficit, this partnership could be mutually helpful and ease South Korean participation within the protection sector.
Broader protection commerce together with naval and land platforms are additionally of specific curiosity to South Korea, which is eager to get a share of the Indian protection pie. As an illustration, some studies urged that the South Korean deal to promote the Indian armed forces the self-propelled air protection gun missile system (SPAD-GMS), which India was earlier reported to have cancelled, may nonetheless be on the desk. The Indian Military has made a request for 5 regiments of SPAD-GMAS. Following a collection of trials involving Russian and Korean programs, Ok-30 Biho of Hanwha Protection of South Korea was shortlisted. Additional negotiations have been delayed on account of a Russian protest and the case has been referred to an inner committee. Different studies urged that the deal for the air protection system has been cancelled and New Delhi is now pursuing a ”Make in India” route. The choice has apparently been taken to cut back the Indian army’s dependence on international acquisitions, however Seoul was surprised by the Indian resolution to cancel the deal. Nonetheless, South Korea has additionally proven some flexibility to accomplice with Indian firms by three way partnership route in order that the Indian “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” (self-reliant India) initiative could be pushed alongside.
After his conferences with Singh and others in Delhi on March 26, Suh travelled to the headquarters of the Indian Military’s parachute brigade in Agra to witness a demonstration of air insertion involving a para battalion. Such demonstrations are hardly ever achieved for visiting dignitaries, and demonstrates the rising consolation and nearer linkages between New Delhi and Seoul. The rising variety of interactions and safety consultations are an iteration of the strategic congruence between South Korea’s New Southern Coverage and India’s Act East Coverage. China’s aggressive habits throughout the area additionally figured throughout the ministerial talks, based on studies.
In December 2020, Indian Military Chief Common Manoj Mukund Naravane was in South Korea. It was the primary go to by an Indian Military chief to South Korea, highlighting the daring push that the 2 international locations are giving to their bilateral safety partnership. The Indian common met with a number of essential officers together with Suh, Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staffs Common Gained In-choul, Protection Acquisition Program Administration Minister Kang Eun-ho, Naravane’s counterpart Common Nam Yeong-shin, and President of the Company of Protection Improvement Nam Sae-kyu. Aside from discussing the affect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the army in each international locations, the leaders deliberated on developments within the Korean Peninsula and the broader Indo-Pacific. In addition they agreed on the necessity to bolster cooperation together with on humanitarian help and catastrophe aid (HADR) and anti-piracy missions.
Whereas South Korea and China preserve fairly secure financial ties, Beijing’s harsh response and sanctions on Seoul for the deployment of the U.S. missile protection interceptor has soured the connection. This additionally pushed South Korea to pursue a diversified international coverage, with strategic outreach towards South and Southeast Asia. India has emerged as a good accomplice on this new strategic net. As India continues to face an aggressive China on its border and within the Indian neighborhood, New Delhi can also be eager to get a much bigger footprint in China’s neighborhood. This partnership is subsequently a win-win for New Delhi and Seoul.