India and South Korea have signed a series of landmark defence agreements in Seoul, deepening cooperation in cyber security, training, UN peacekeeping, and defence industry collaboration.

The pacts highlight a growing strategic convergence between India’s Act East Policy and South Korea’s regional vision, with both nations reaffirming their commitment to a free, open, and rule-based Indo-Pacific.

India and South Korea on Wednesday inked Memoranda of Understanding in critical areas of defence cooperation. These included agreements on Defence Cyber collaboration, training exchanges between India’s National Defence College and Korea National Defence University, and UN Peacekeeping cooperation.

Defence Ministers Rajnath Singh and Ahn Gyu-back held comprehensive discussions covering the entire spectrum of defence ties, ranging from industry and production to maritime security, emerging technologies, logistics, and regional security.

Both sides emphasised the growing alignment between India’s Act East Policy and South Korea’s strategic vision, reiterating their shared objective of maintaining a free, open, inclusive, and rules-based Indo-Pacific. This phrase is widely understood in strategic circles as a counter to Chinese assertiveness in the South China Sea and broader regional waters.

During his visit, Rajnath Singh also met Lee Yong-chul, Minister of South Korea’s Defence Acquisition Program Administration. The two leaders agreed to intensify efforts towards joint development, joint production, and joint exports of defence systems.

Discussions also advanced the roadmap for the Defence Innovation Accelerator Ecosystem (KIND-X), designed to synergise the innovation ecosystems of both countries, particularly in next-generation defence technologies.

Singh chaired the India-Republic of Korea Defence Industry Business RoundTable, which brought together senior officials and leading defence industry representatives. The meeting explored opportunities in defence manufacturing, co-development, co-production, and supply chain partnerships. 

Addressing industry leaders, Singh highlighted India’s expanding defence industrial ecosystem and invited Korean companies to strengthen engagement with Indian firms under the government’s push for indigenous defence manufacturing and global partnerships.

He stressed that the success of India-Korea industrial cooperation in the commercial sector demonstrates the enormous potential of long-term trusted partnerships. Singh declared that the time has come to extend this model into the defence sector, where technology, innovation, manufacturing capability, and strategic trust are increasingly interconnected.

He underlined that Korea’s technological excellence, combined with India’s scale, talent, and innovation ecosystem, creates a powerful foundation for future collaboration.

Singh noted that modern defence ecosystems are powered by advanced electronics, artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, cyber technologies, sensors, semiconductors, quantum technologies, advanced materials, and space-based capabilities.

He emphasised that the future of defence will depend on rapid innovation and integration across multiple domains, an area where India and South Korea possess enormous potential for cooperation.

Two agreements were signed between Larsen & Toubro (India) and Hanwha Co Ltd (South Korea), expected to enhance collaboration between the defence industries of both nations and promote technology cooperation and capacity building.

These agreements build upon the successful joint production of the K9 Vajra-T self-propelled howitzer, already a cornerstone of bilateral defence cooperation.

Singh reiterated India’s commitment to achieving self-reliance in defence manufacturing, citing record figures of approximately ₹1.54 lakh crore in defence production and nearly ₹40,000 crore in defence exports during FY2025-26. He projected defence exports to reach ₹50,000 crore within 1–2 years, while defence production is expected to rise to ₹1.75 lakh crore in the coming months.

He also referred to Operation Sindoor as evidence of India’s transformation into a strong and confident nation. Singh reaffirmed India’s adherence to its No First Use nuclear policy, while warning that restraint should not be mistaken for weakness. He declared that India will not tolerate terrorism or nuclear blackmail, underscoring the resolve of “New India.”

The agreements signed in Seoul mark a significant step forward in India-South Korea defence cooperation, combining industrial collaboration, technological innovation, and strategic alignment to address emerging challenges in the Indo-Pacific.

Agencies