S Korean President departs for India, summit talks with PM Modi on Monday

Lee Jae Myung begins India and Vietnam visit to meet Narendra Modi and Vietnamese leaders, focusing on economic cooperation, supply chains, and energy stability amid Middle East tensions, while boosting trade, technology, and strategic diplomatic engagement

Seoul: President Lee Jae Myung departed for India on Sunday for a two-nation trip that also includes a visit to Vietnam for summit talks, likely to focus on stabilising supply chains amid global energy market uncertainties stemming from the war in the Middle East.

Lee will arrive in New Delhi later in the day and hold summit talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday. It will mark their third in-person meeting, following earlier talks on the sidelines of the G7 and G20 summits last year, reports Yonhap news agency.

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The summit is expected to focus on expanding economic cooperation in areas such as shipbuilding, maritime industries, artificial intelligence and defence, as well as coordinating responses to energy supply chain uncertainties linked to the Middle East situation, National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said on Thursday.

He also plans to attend a business forum to explore new opportunities and support the operations of Korean companies in India, a key production hub and major consumer market for Korean electronics and automakers.

Lee is scheduled to head to Hanoi, Vietnam, on Tuesday for a state visit and hold talks on Wednesday with To Lam, Vietnam’s president and general secretary of the Communist Party, with cooperation on energy supply chains and critical minerals expected to be high on the agenda.

The visit will make Lee the first foreign leader to travel to Vietnam since To Lam was elected state president earlier this month, consolidating his authority by holding the country’s two most powerful positions.

The following day, Lee is set to meet Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung, the No. 2 official, and National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man, the No. 3 official, and attend a business forum to explore ways to bolster economic cooperation between the two countries.

In light of the trip, Lee will seek to strengthen strategic cooperation with fast-growing economies and broaden South Korea’s diplomatic reach, according to Wi.