Indian Defense Minister A.K. Anthony
visited South Korea last week at the invitation of his South Korean counterpart to boost defense cooperation between the two states. His visit came just two months after the Indian external affairs minister visited Seoul and at a time of great turbulence in the strategic environment of the Asia-Pacific region. After having long ignored each other, India and South Korea are now
beginning to recognize the importance of tighter ties. The resulting
courtship was highlighted by South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak's
state visit to New Delhi in January, when he was the chief guest at the
Republic Day celebrations. During his stay, New Delhi and Seoul decided
to elevate their bilateral relationship to a "strategic partnership."
Despite pursuing a
"Look East" policy since early 1990s, New Delhi failed to generate momentum in ties with South Korea. South Korean businesses did not begin to view India as an important destination for investments until after the 1997 financial crisis. South Korea still remained focused on China as an economic partner and has only recently made India a major economic and political priority. With a renewed push from both sides, things have improved dramatically on the economic front over the past few years. ...