President Lee to Depart on April 19 for State Visits to India and Vietnam... 'Global South, Economic Security' Put to the Test

First State Visit to India in Eight Years, First State Visit with Vietnam's New Leadership
Discussions on Cooperation in AI, Defense, Nuclear Power, and Energy
Focus on Supply Chain Coordination Amid Ongoing Middle East Conflict
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President Lee Jaemyung will depart on April 19 for a six-day, five-night state visit to India and Vietnam. By visiting these two rapidly growing countries in succession, the trip is expected to mark a turning point in deepening strategic cooperation across several key sectors and in fully launching the "Global South" initiative.

President Lee Jae-myung is holding a video summit at the Blue House on the 17th regarding the free navigation of the Strait of Hormuz, led by France and the United Kingdom. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

This visit to India is the first state visit in eight years and is the fastest to be arranged after the launch of any previous administration. The visit to Vietnam is the first state visit hosted by the country's new leadership, which took office earlier this month, and is a reciprocal visit that comes eight months after General Secretary To Lam's trip to South Korea in August last year.

Upon arriving in New Delhi on April 19, President Lee will meet with Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and hold a dinner meeting with the Korean community. On April 20, the schedule includes an official welcoming ceremony, a wreath-laying at the Gandhi Memorial, a small-group and expanded summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) exchange ceremony, a joint press announcement, a luncheon, the Korea-India Business Dialogue, a business forum, and a state banquet hosted by President Droupadi Murmu. At a press briefing on the 16th, National Security Office Chief Wi Seongrak said, "There will be in-depth discussions on the overall Korea-India Special Strategic Partnership."

The Blue House outlined four major expected outcomes from the India visit. First, Chief Wi emphasized that this marks the official launch of "Global South diplomacy." He described India as "a leading country in the Global South, with a population of 1.4 billion, the fourth-largest economy in the world, and achieving rapid growth at an annual rate of 7%," and highlighted its role as a key partner for expanding pragmatic, national-interest-centered diplomacy. He also stated that negotiations to improve the Korea-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) will be accelerated to create new momentum for economic cooperation and lay the groundwork for achieving $50 billion in bilateral trade by 2030. Shipbuilding and maritime, finance, artificial intelligence (AI), and defense were cited as representative areas of cooperation.

Amid the prolonged Middle East conflict, economic security cooperation is also a core agenda of the India visit. Chief Wi said the two leaders are expected to reaffirm their commitment to "maintaining close coordination on energy supply chains in the rapidly changing international situation, including the Middle East conflict," and to continue constructive cooperation for peace on the Korean Peninsula and in the region. In line with the recent efforts by the Blue House to review energy supply and maritime logistics risks on a daily basis, this trip is expected to serve as a testbed for pragmatic diplomacy that links foreign policy, supply chains, and energy security.

During the Vietnam visit, building early trust with the new leadership and deepening cooperation on future industries will be key areas to watch. President Lee will begin on the 22nd with a luncheon with the Korean community, followed by a wreath-laying at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, an official welcoming ceremony, a summit with General Secretary and President To Lam, an MOU exchange ceremony, a joint press announcement, and a state banquet. On the 23rd, he will meet separately with Prime Minister Le Minh Khai and National Assembly Speaker Tran Thanh Man, and attend the Korea-Vietnam Business Forum. On the 24th, President Lee and General Secretary To Lam will tour the Thang Long Imperial Citadel, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Hanoi, before returning to Korea.

Chief Wi characterized the Vietnam trip as "the establishment of the best partnership through early realization of reciprocal visits." He added that the summit will include in-depth discussions of "practical measures to strengthen strategic and mutually beneficial cooperation amid global uncertainty." The Blue House reaffirmed the goal of achieving $150 billion in trade by 2030, strengthening cooperation in core national development sectors such as infrastructure and nuclear power, and broadening dialogue to build economic security partnerships in energy and supply chain stability, as well as critical minerals cooperation.

The delegation for this trip includes top executives from South Korea's four largest business groups. SK Group Chairman and Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman Chey Tae-won, Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung, and LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo will meet with local political and business leaders to discuss ways to expand cooperation in investment, supply chains, and future industries. The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry will oversee the Vietnam schedule, while the Federation of Korean Industries will manage the India schedule, supporting business forums and the signing of business agreements. As such, this trip is expected to combine summit diplomacy with sales diplomacy.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.