This article outlines the diplomatic relationship between India and the Republic of Korea (ROK): how relations were established, India's role on the Korean peninsula after 1945, the main leader and ministerial visits, the dialogue mechanisms between the two governments, and the outcomes of the April 2026 State visit. It is based on the MEA brief of July 2026, and office holders are named as the brief names them, with the date or event it gives.

Establishment of relations and partnership status

According to the MEA brief of July 2026, consular relations between India and the ROK were established in 1962 and diplomatic relations on 10 December 1973. The two countries commemorated 50 years of diplomatic ties in 2023.

The two sides formed a "Strategic Partnership" in 2010. It was elevated to a "Special Strategic Partnership" in 2015, during the State Visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Seoul on 18-19 May 2015.

India and the Korean peninsula after 1945

The brief records that India played a role on the Korean peninsula after Korea's independence in 1945. Former Indian diplomat Shri K P S Menon was the Chairman of the 9-member UN Commission set up in 1947 to hold elections in Korea.

During the Korean War (1950-53), India sent an Army medical unit, the 60th Parachute Field Ambulance, as part of the UN Command. The unit comprised 627 medical personnel, was commanded by Lt. Col. A.G. Rangaraj, and treated about 220,000 patients.

Both warring sides accepted a UN resolution sponsored by India, and the ceasefire was declared on 27 July 1953. After the armistice, Lt. General K.S. Thimayya of India served as the Chairman of the Neutral Nations Repatriation Commission (NNRC). India also dispatched one Brigade Group, designated as Custodian Forces-India (CFI) and comprising 5230 personnel, under Major General SSP Thorat, which the brief says was instrumental in resolving the Prisoners of War issue.

Visits and meetings at the level of leaders

The brief lists the following leader-level engagements:

  • President Moon Jae-in paid a State Visit to India on 08-11 July 2018, when the two countries issued a statement outlining a "Vision for People, Prosperity, Peace and our Future".
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a State Visit to the ROK on 21-22 February 2019, during which he received the Seoul Peace Prize.
  • PM Modi and President Yoon Suk Yeol held their first in-person bilateral talks on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Hiroshima, Japan, on 20 May 2023. President Yoon attended the G20 Summit in New Delhi on 9-10 September 2023, and the two leaders met bilaterally on 10 September 2023. They met again on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Lao PDR in October 2024.
  • PM Modi and President Lee Jae Myung met on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Canada, on 17 June 2025 and agreed to work together in sectors such as commerce, investment, technology, green hydrogen and shipbuilding.
  • On 17 July 2025, a Presidential delegation of Special Envoys led by former Prime Minister of the ROK Kim Boo-kyum met PM Modi, and the delegation also met the Speaker of the Lok Sabha.
  • The two leaders met on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in South Africa on 22 November 2025, and again on the sidelines of the G7 Summit at Evian on 17 June 2026.

The State visit of April 2026

President Lee Jae Myung paid a State visit to India from 19-21 April 2026, which the brief describes as the earliest visit to India by a Korean President after assuming office. He was accompanied by Ministers, senior officials and leading CEOs of Korean companies, and held a summit meeting with PM Modi on 20 April 2026.

The two leaders unveiled a "Joint Strategic Vision for India-ROK Special Strategic Partnership" for the period 2026-2030. Three joint statements were also issued:

  • India-ROK Comprehensive Framework for Partnership in Shipbuilding, Shipping & Maritime Logistics (VOYAGES)
  • India-ROK Joint Statement on Cooperation in Field of Sustainability
  • India-ROK Joint Statement on Energy Resource Security

The brief states that 15 MoUs/Frameworks were concluded in fields including the economy, commerce, science and technology, environment, climate change and culture. Announcements made during the visit included:

  • launch of an Economic Security Dialogue (ESD)
  • establishment of a Distinguished Visitors' Programme (DVP), intended to enhance parliamentary exchanges
  • a dialogue between the two Foreign Ministries on global themes including climate change, the Arctic and maritime cooperation
  • the ROK joining the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative and the International Solar Alliance (ISA), and India joining the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI)
  • commemoration of 2028-29 as the Year of India-ROK Friendship

Ministerial exchanges

External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar visited Seoul on 05-06 March 2024 for the 10th India-ROK Joint Commission Meeting (JCM), which he co-chaired with Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul. The two ministers also met during 2024 at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' meeting, the UN General Assembly, the G20 Summit and a G7 Foreign Ministers' outreach meeting in Italy, and at the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Johannesburg in February 2025.

After the Presidential election in the ROK, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun visited India in August 2025 and reviewed the Special Strategic Partnership with EAM. The two met again in Kuala Lumpur on 26 October 2025, and EAM called on President Lee Jae Myung on 19 April 2026 during the State visit. EAM then paid an official visit to the ROK on 24-25 June 2026, holding talks with Foreign Minister Cho Hyun in Seoul and delivering the keynote address at the Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity.

Minister of State for External Affairs and Education Mr. Rajkumar Ranjan Singh took part in the Third Summit for Democracy Ministerial Conference, hosted by the ROK Foreign Minister in Seoul on 18 March 2024. The ROK Minister of Interior and Safety, Yun Ho-jung, visited India on 19-21 June 2026 and met Dr. Jitendra Singh, Sh. Manohar Lal Khattar, Lok Sabha Speaker Sh. Om Birla and members of the India-Korea Parliamentary Friendship Group.

Dialogue mechanisms

The brief records several regular dialogues between officials:

  • The sixth FPSD was co-hosted in Seoul on 13 February 2026 by Secretary (East) P. Kumaran and First Vice Minister Park Yoon-joon. The fifth FPSD was held in Seoul in January 2023. Vice Minister-level consultations followed in India on 20 March 2026.
  • The 4th India-ROK Deputy NSA-level Strategic Dialogue was co-chaired in Seoul in August 2023 by Deputy National Security Advisor Vikram Misri and 1st Deputy Director of National Security Kim Tae-hyo.
  • The Fourth Bilateral Consultations on Disarmament and Non-Proliferation were held in Seoul on 26 April 2024.
  • An inaugural India-ROK-Japan Trilateral Policy Planning meeting was held in Seoul on 21 October 2024, followed by a Bilateral Policy Planning Dialogue on 22 October 2024.
  • Deputy Minister for Political Affairs Ms. Eui Hae Cecilia Chung met Secretary (East) Mr. Rudrendra Tandon on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum Senior Officials meeting in Manila in June 2026.

Parliamentary and judicial exchanges

An All-Party Parliamentary Delegation led by MP Mr. Sanjay Kumar Jha visited the ROK on 25-26 May 2025 for global outreach on the significance of Operation Sindoor. National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo attended the P20 Summit in New Delhi on 11-13 October 2023 and met Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla.

Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Lee Hack-young visited India from 29 January to 02 February 2026 with Rep. Jeong Hyekyeong, Rep. Song Jae-bong and Rep. Bok Ki-wang, and met the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Harivansh. On the judicial side, Justice Surya kant of the Supreme Court visited the ROK in August 2024 and met the Chief Justices of the ROK's Supreme Court and Constitutional Court.

Think tank engagement

The Third 2+2 ICWA/RIS-KNDA/KIEP Policy Dialogue, on "Re-imagining world order: India and ROK in a Multipolar Indo-Pacific", was held in India on 07 April 2026. The 24th edition of the India-Korea Strategic Dialogue was held in Seoul on 17-19 December 2025, convened by the Ananta Centre with the MEA, the Korea Foundation and the Seoul Forum for International Affairs, with a keynote address by Foreign Minister Cho Hyun.