The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE, Minister Dukgeun Ahn) and the Embassy of India in Korea (Ambassador Amit Kumar) jointly held the Korea-India Insight Forum on Friday, April 4, at the Indian Ambassador’s Residence in Seoul to engage in in-depth discussions on strengthening strategic cooperation in the economic and trade sectors between the two countries.

The forum, which brought together government officials and private-sector experts from both countries, was organized to explore directions for Korea-India cooperation amid structural changes in the international trade order driven by supply chain reorganization, intensifying technological competition, global oversupply, and the tightening of tariff measures.

Participants agreed that Korea and India are emerging as increasingly important special strategic partners, and emphasized the need to enhance practical cooperation across a range of future-oriented industries. These include expanding bilateral trade and investment as well as fostering collaboration in development cooperation, digital transformation, advanced manufacturing, infrastructure, clean energy, and talent mobility.

Kim Jong-chul, Director General for International Trade Relations at MOTIE, remarked, “Despite the great potential for cooperation, tangible outcomes have been limited. This year, we plan to work closely with the Indian government to restructure our existing cooperation framework and pursue more substantive collaboration.” Ambassador Amit Kumar responded by proposing to “strengthen bilateral cooperation to build a sustainable partnership across various sectors, based on the two countries’ economic structures, growth potential, and strategic interests, while seizing new opportunities.”

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Special Strategic Partnership between Korea and India. The two governments plan to further strengthen policy communication and cooperation across a wide range of sectors in the years ahead.