Jae-yong Lee Snaps a Selfie with President Lee and Prime Minister Modi... Closer Korea-India Economic Cooperation

by Kim Jinyeong

Published 20 Apr.2026 18:16(KST)

Samsung Electronics Chairman Jae-yong Lee, who accompanied President Jae-myung Lee on his state visit to India, demonstrated close diplomatic ties by taking a photo alongside the leaders of Korea and India.

At around 5:40 p.m. on April 20, a selfie featuring President Jae-myung Lee, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Chairman Jae-yong Lee was uploaded on the official Samsung Newsroom Instagram account, drawing significant attention.

President Jae-myung Lee, who made a state visit to India, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Samsung Electronics Chairman Jae-yong Lee taking a commemorative photo at the luncheon on the 20th. Photo by Samsung Newsroom Instagram

According to Samsung Newsroom, “Chairman Jae-yong Lee attended a luncheon hosted by Prime Minister Modi on the occasion of President Jae-myung Lee’s state visit to India, where he took a selfie together with President Lee and Prime Minister Modi.” The company added, “Chairman Lee used the Flip7, produced at the Noida plant in India, to take the selfie.”

Samsung Electronics has been manufacturing mobile phones in Noida since 1996, producing all flagship models-including foldables-as well as entry-level models at the Noida facility. The company states that this contributes to the Indian government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative.

Previously, Chairman Lee, Euisun Chung, Executive Chair of Hyundai Motor Group, and Koo Kwang-mo, Chairman of LG Group, among other major business leaders, departed on a business trip to join the Korea-India and Korea-Vietnam economic delegations. Their strategy is to secure both emerging consumer markets and production bases in these countries, representative of the global south. In addition to the leaders of the top five conglomerates, the delegation includes a total of 200 prominent figures, including the heads of POSCO, HD Hyundai, GS, Hyosung, and CJ.

India, a leading nation of the global south, is the world’s fourth-largest economy with an annual growth rate of 7% and a massive domestic market of 1.4 billion people. Samsung Electronics is strengthening its artificial intelligence (AI) software and architecture development centered around its R&D center in Bengaluru, and recently introduced new AI-powered air conditioner models tailored to India’s local climate conditions.

There is also considerable interest in whether Chairman Lee will meet with Mukesh Ambani, Chairman of India’s largest conglomerate, Reliance Group. Last November, Ambani dined with Chairman Lee during his visit to Korea, where they discussed expanding cooperation in new business areas such as semiconductors, telecommunications, data centers, and batteries.

This economic delegation’s itinerary spans six days and five nights, starting in India from April 19 to 21, and then moving on to Vietnam from April 21 to 24. The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry is overseeing the Vietnam leg, while the Federation of Korean Industries is responsible for the India schedule, with plans to announce inter-company business agreements (MOUs) during the trip. Given the high level of corporate interest in both India and Vietnam, there is growing attention on the possibility of major companies unveiling ‘investment packages.’ In particular, Vietnam serves as a major production hub for Samsung Electronics’ mobile phones, accounting for over 50% of its global mobile phone output.