NEW DELHI, April 20, 2026 (Net) – India gave a red-carpet welcome for South Korean President Lee Jae-myung in New Delhi on Monday, with shipbuilding and artificial intelligence high on the agenda for talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“Amidst ongoing supply chain instability and a global economic crisis stemming from the aftermath of the Middle East conflict, the Republic of Korea and India are emerging as increasingly vital strategic partners for one another,” Lee, on his first visit to India, said in a statement on social media.
Talks will include discussions on “shipbuilding, trade, investments, AI, semiconductors, critical and emerging technologies”, India’s foreign ministry said.
Lee and Modi will also discuss “continuing constructive cooperation for the sake of peace on the Korean Peninsula and within the region”, South Korea’s National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said in Seoul ahead of Lee’s state visit.
Modi and Lee stood side-by-side outside the presidential palace, as lines of Indian troops marched past.
South Korea has faced mounting risks to its energy supplies since US-Israeli attacks on Iran in late Feb-ruary prompted Tehran to effectively close the crucial Strait of Hormuz.
The two countries are also seeking to bolster a 2010 economic partnership agreement.
Bilateral trade has grown from $14.2 billion at the time of its implementation to $26.89 billion in 2024-25, an increase of nearly 90 percent, according to the Indian foreign ministry.
