President Droupadi Murmu and Korean President Lee Jae Myung raise a toast during a state banquet at India's presidential palace in New Delhi

President Lee Jae Myung and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly expressed the view that Korea and India are “optimal partners in achieving their respective national visions,” according to National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac.

He explained that Korea’s vision for a national leap in 2026 and India’s Viksit Bharat 2047, which aims to make India a developed nation by 2047, were central to the discussions held during the summit in New Delhi.

The meeting was part of President Lee’s three-day state visit to India, which ran from Sunday to Tuesday, and formed the first leg of a broader trip that will also take him to Vietnam later in the week. The summit was a key highlight of his engagements in New Delhi, underscoring the growing strategic importance of ties between the two Asian democracies.

In a written press briefing, Wi Sung-lac revealed that President Lee extended an invitation to Prime Minister Modi to visit Korea “at an appropriate time in the future.” Modi responded positively to the proposal, signalling the potential for further high-level exchanges between the two nations.

Wi also noted the warm personal rapport between the two leaders, describing their interactions as akin to “old friends reunited.” This tone of familiarity and mutual respect was evident throughout the visit, adding a personal dimension to the otherwise formal diplomatic proceedings.

The summit produced several important agreements, with memoranda of understanding signed across diverse sectors. These included finance, culture, people-to-people exchanges, science and technology, climate and environment, and defence. Such wide-ranging cooperation reflects the ambition of both countries to deepen their partnership across multiple domains.

Wi emphasised that both leaders agreed on the importance of advancing cooperation based on shared democratic values. He highlighted democracy as a system that “fosters the full realisation of individual capabilities,” and argued that collaboration between two leading democracies in Asia could generate significant synergy.

The state visit concluded with a banquet hosted by Indian President Droupadi Murmu at the presidential palace in New Delhi, where she and President Lee raised a toast to the partnership. The banquet followed Lee’s summit with Prime Minister Modi earlier in the day, marking a ceremonial close to his engagements in India before his onward journey to Vietnam.

Korea Times