By Dr. Sandip Kumar Mishra
India and South Korea established diplomatic relations in 1973, and are celebrating the fiftieth anniversary this yr. It took a very long time for official relations to be established as India needed to take action concurrently, with South and North Korea, which the Koreas weren’t prepared for till 1973.
Regardless of formally saying the connection, nonetheless, India and South Korea didn’t have too many linkages by means of the Chilly Warfare due to structural causes. For instance, India was a non-aligned nation, whereas South Korea was a US safety ally. Moreover, India was a socialist financial system, and never receptive to overseas capital and funding, whereas South Korea was an export-led financial system.
Altering political and financial dynamics within the post-Chilly Warfare period have, nonetheless, introduced each international locations nearer to one another. Prior to now three many years, India-South Korea relations have progressed considerably. They’ve elevated bilateral exchanges within the political, safety, strategic, cultural, and people-to-people domains. New Delhi and Seoul, who had lower than US$ 1 billion bilateral commerce in 1990, noticed commerce amounting to US$ 27.8 billion in 2022. India and South Korea signed the Complete Financial Partnership Settlement (CEPA) in 2009, and the Strategic Partnership Settlement in 2010. In 2015, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s go to to Korea, relations have been additional enhanced to a Particular Strategic Partnership (SSPA).
With experiences of North Korea and Pakistan exchanging nuclear and missile applied sciences rising within the mid-Nineties, India and South Korea thought of larger bilateral cooperation within the safety area. Aside from the CEPA and SSPA, the 2 international locations signed an MoU on Defence Cooperation and Defence Analysis and Improvement in 2010. They reached a Civil Nuclear Power Cooperation Settlement in 2011, and an Settlement on the Safety of Labeled Navy Info in 2014. India’s Act East Coverage and South Korea’s New Southern Coverage additional propelled their bilateral outreach.
On the fiftieth anniversary of their diplomatic relations, nonetheless, one may additionally say that New Delhi and Seoul haven’t but realised the total potential of their relationship. For instance, the CEPA is claimed to be restricted in scope, and that it hasn’t supplied any substantial enhance to bilateral relations. After the primary two years of CEPA, commerce between the 2 international locations was stagnant until 2020. India and South Korea declared in 2015 that CEPA can be revised, however this nonetheless hasn’t been concluded. There are speculations that the 2 international locations aren’t glad with one another’s proposals, and the method is thus taking extra time than anticipated. India can be in search of extra funding from Korea, whereas the latter retains its reminiscence of the unfulfilled POSCO funding meant for India. Within the strategic area, the SPPA is claimed to be missing a correct agenda. India and South Korea are additionally reluctant to take positions or specific solidarity on a number of points which might be strategically vital to one another.
On the event of this fiftieth anniversary, New Delhi and Seoul should realise that they’ve way more potential for a complete relationship. Since their core competencies within the financial area are totally different, they might resolve on a long-term, win-win framework of cooperation. Within the strategic area, additionally, they share frequent considerations concerning the rise of an ‘assertive’ China, and have adopted Indo-Pacific methods. It is very important notice that there are extra commonalities between India and South Korea’s Indo-Pacific methods than these of most different international locations. It’s because China neighbours each international locations, and Beijing additionally has complicated relations with each. For a similar motive, New Delhi and Seoul’s Indo-Pacific methods are extra cautious and nuanced of their strategy in the direction of Beijing. With South Korea-Japan relations bettering, India has extra alternative for simultaneous cooperation with each. Now, India and South Korea thus have the identical buddies, and the identical foes or considerations.
To have the ability to act on this commonality of pursuits and values within the coming years, India and South Korea should enhance their consciousness of one another. For this, people-to-people linkages have to be inspired together with cultural and academic exchanges. This may facilitate the realisation of an already current frequent aspiration. New Delhi and Seoul also needs to work to enhance the belief quotient between them, which may lead a greater take a look at a long-term complete partnership, relatively than short-term mechanical reciprocity. The 2 international locations should have fun 50 years of diplomatic relations by inculcating mutual consciousness and belief, and charting out a complete partnership on each bilateral and regional points. India and South Korea are center powers and rising economies that want regional stability, and for this, they have to work collectively.
Dr. Sandip Kumar Mishra is Affiliate Professor, Centre for East Asian Research, SIS, JNU, & Distinguished Fellow, IPCS.