President Yoon Suk Yeol (left) on Sept. 10 shakes hands with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at their bilateral summit held at the International Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre, aka Bharat Mandapam, in New Delhi, India. (Kim Yong Wii from Office of the President)

By Margareth Theresia

President Yoon Suk Yeol, on a visit to India from Sept. 9-10 to attend the Group of 20 Summit, has held talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on bilateral cooperation in areas such as the defense industry and supply chains.

The Office of the President in Seoul on Sept. 10 said the meeting was at the International Exhibition-cum-Convention Center, aka Bharat Mandapam, in the Indian capital of New Delhi. "To mark the 50th anniversary of Korea-India ties this year, both leaders agreed to boost bilateral strategic communication and cooperation as key partners in the Indo-Pacific region."

The office added that the two sides will "continue cooperation to ensure that the second batch of the Korean-made K9 self-propelled howitzer project, a symbol of bilateral cooperation in the defense industry, proceeds smoothly and develop collaboration in defense and the defense industry."

Both leaders said Korean companies are collaborating to build stable supply chains in India by continuing to expand investment mainly in high-tech industries such as electric vehicles. They pledged to keep expanding the scope of supply chain cooperation in fields like information and communications technology and electronics.

Given the increasing importance of cooperation in core technologies among countries that share the same values, the two sides also agreed to raise cooperation in space based on their excellent space development capacities as seen in Korea's launch of the space rocket Nuri in May and the landing of India's Chandrayaan-3 lunar probe on the moon's south pole last month.

President Yoon and Prime Minister Modi also agreed to advance negotiations to upgrade the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, a de facto free trade deal between the two countries.

margareth@korea.kr