South Korean President Lee Jae Myung will embark on a three-day visit to India beginning Sunday to bolster bilateral ties in trade, defence and critical technologies against the backdrop of rising geopolitical upheavals.
Lee is expected to hold wide-ranging talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday following which both the sides are likely to seal a number of agreements to shore up bilateral cooperation in a number of areas, people familiar with the matter said.
The South Korean president will be accompanied by First Lady Kim Hea Kyung and a high-level delegation comprising ministers, senior officials and business leaders, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
"In light of Lee's visit, the two nations will open a new chapter in economic cooperation in strategic sectors such as shipbuilding and maritime industries, finance, artificial intelligence (AI), and defence," South Korea's National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said in Seoul.
"The two countries will maintain close coordination on energy supply chains amid rapidly shifting global dynamics stemming from the war in the Middle East," he said.
The MEA said President Lee will hold talks with PM Modi on strengthening bilateral cooperation across a wide spectrum of areas, including shipbuilding, trade, investments, AI, semiconductors, critical and emerging technologies and people-to-people connect.
They will also exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest. The prime minister will host a lunch in honour of the visiting leader, it said.
Lee will also meet President Droupadi Murmu who will host a banquet in honour of him.
"The visit of President Lee underscores the shared aspiration of both countries to further strengthen the existing areas of cooperation while expanding collaboration in new and emerging areas of mutual interest," the MEA said in a statement.
The South Korean president is embarking on a visit to India and Vietnam, with the first leg of the tour beginning in New Delhi.
In New Delhi, Lee is also likely to attend a business forum comprising top corporate executives from both the countries.
The India-South Korea strategic ties have been on an upswing in the last several years.
Various bilateral mechanisms have been instituted to take forward the overall defence ties including military-to-military and defence industrial cooperation.
The bilateral trade and economic relations gathered momentum following the implementation of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in 2010.
The bilateral trade between the two countries for January to October 2025 was $21.5 billion.
In 2024, the bilateral trade stood at $25.1 billion. Major items of India's exports to South Korea are aluminum, cereals, iron and steel.
South Korea is the 15th largest FDI investor of India. Total investment made by that country into India in 2024 amounted to $929 million.
Published on April 17, 2026