India-South Korea relations in the age of Indo-Pacific: Challenges and opportunities

The year 2023 marks 50 years of India and the Republic of Korea (RoK), South Korea, bilateral relations. The two countries have had a civilisational connection. The 16-year-old princess Suriratna, the daughter of King Padmasena, the ruler of the kingdom of Kausala in North India, with Ayodhya as the capital, traveled in 48 BCE to Korea and married Kim Suro, founder and King of Geumgwan Gaya in south-eastern Korea. This relationship is a cherished part of the folklore in that country. More recently, India’s contributions during the Korean War, shared values of democracy, the deepening of the Special Strategic Partnership, India’s rising global status, and the presidency of the G20 all bring into focus the potential for intensified bilateral engagement. The core areas are security and defence, trade and investment, sustainable development, future mobility, new and emerging technologies. With the unprecedented economic and military growth of China, the global focus and competition have shifted to the Indo-Pacific. There is a congruence of situations and challenges between the two nations. They face similar security and supply chain challenges. Undoubtedly, there is a need to take stock of the close bilateral relations and to deepen strategic cooperation in areas like futuristic manufacturing, renewables, healthcare, space, digital transformation, etc. India’s independence saw a bloody partition in 1947. Similarly, the RoK emerged as a nation after the Korean War (1950-53) that split the Korean peninsula across the 38th parallel. While RoK was brought under the security umbrella provided by the United States, India chose to be non-aligned. RoK’s immediate security concerns are the nuclear powers communist China and North Korea, the latter being backed by the former. Similarly, India’s security concerns are with nuclear powers Pakistan and China, with both working collusively. China has had a hand in both North Korea and Pakistan’s nuclear and missile programs. India has had full wars with both its neighbours and continues to have border incidents and skirmishes with them. North Korea is continuously threatening RoK with missile firings. Though located at diametrically opposite ends of China, the security situations for India and RoK are somewhat similar. India-RoK established formal diplomatic relations in 1973, and engagements ever since have been multi-dimensional. South Korea is currently the fifth-largest source of investment in India. Korean brand names, LG, Samsung, and Hyundai are household names and have manufacturing and service facilities in India. In July 2018, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi jointly inaugurated Samsung Electronics’ smartphone assembly factory in Noida, the largest such factory in the world. There are many Korean companies in infrastructural development. Tata Motors purchased Daewoo Commercial Vehicles and highlighted India’s investments in Korea. Buddhism also binds the two nations. Chinese military buildup and their actions in South and East China Seas, and more recent aggressive posturing against Taiwan and Japan, have shifted global attention to the Indo-Pacific. Also, North Korea continues to grow its nuclear stockpile and ballistic missile capability. They are conducting, on average, one missile test every other week. Both China and North Korea are ruled by ambitious autocratic leaders. Like-minded major democracies of the Indo-Pacific region, Japan, Australia, the U.S., and India, formed the QUAD. The members have a shared vision for a Free and Open Indo-Pacific and a rules-based maritime order in the East and South China Seas. The Quad Plus meetings included representatives from RoK, New Zealand, and Vietnam. Later, the United States hosted a meeting of Quad nations, which also included Brazil, Israel, and RoK, ostensibly to discuss a global response to COVID-19. President Biden just hosted leaders of Japan, RoK at Camp David to help them bridge their historic differences and animosity. As of 2023, Quad countries together have nearly 35 per cent of the global GDP. The numbers are much higher with Quad–plus or non-member partners. Though not a military alliance, Quad and its members hold bilateral and multilateral military exercises like Malabar, among others. China continues to be a dominant economy. It is a leading trade partner of most global economies. However, all its main allies in the region, Pakistan, North Korea, Myanmar, and Cambodia, are in financial or political mess. The war in Ukraine and the sanctions against Russia have pushed the major military power Russia into China’s fold. The West has thus created a dual containment situation for itself. China has meanwhile increased its engagement in West and Central Asia. They brokered the Saudi-Iran deal. They are engaging with UAE and others. China has a major standing in Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), now expanding BRICS, Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), and many other multilateral institutions. The global approach to China is still evolving. The ASEAN countries and most others prefer engagement to confrontation. I feel that the world needs to continue to engage China and selectively and slowly decouple. In May this year, India participated in the inaugural ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise (AIME 2023) held in the South China Sea. It took the India-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic partnership to the next level. The Philippines, US, and Japan also held a trilateral exercise in the SCS. The Indian Air Force (IAF) and Japan Air Self Defence Force (JASDF) had a bilateral air exercise ‘Veer Guardian 2023’ in Japan, in January 2023. The preference for the Philippines to be a partner with Quad is understandable. Meanwhile, Japan announced its new National Security Strategy and the Defence Buildup Programme (DBP) in December 2022. Their defence budget has started going up with a target of reaching 2 percent of GDP by 2027. By signing the four foundational military logistics and security agreements, COMCASA, BECA, LEMOA, and GSOMIA, India and the USA have moved closer. India has clearly emerged as the leader of the global south and maintains strategic autonomy. It is already the world’s fifth-largest economy with one of the highest growth rates. It has the fourth most powerful military. It is among the top space powers. It has a huge demographic advantage of a youthful highly skilled population. It is a great market and has a high potential as a manufacturing hub. The world is wooing India. Meanwhile, India finds strong market and trade synergies with Japan, RoK, and ASEAN as much as it does with China. Over 50 per cent of India’s global trade passes through the South China Sea (SCS). India has two oil exploration blocks off the coast of Vietnam. SCS may not seem to be an immediate security concern for India, but India is building a blue-water navy, and IAF’s reach has been growing with long-range fighter operations using aerial refueling to defend India’s global and regional interests. India’s approach towards its eastern neighbours includes Act East, Neighborhood First, and Security and Growth of All in the Region (SAGAR) policies. For India, ASEAN Centrality is fundamental to this approach as well as towards the multilateral frameworks in the region. Amidst intensifying US-China rivalry in the region, Seoul has to balance between the US as its security partner and China as its largest trading partner. Also, with China, Seoul has to manage the North Korean nuclear dynamics. Seoul’s recently released Indo-Pacific strategy sees RoK as a pivotal state that actively seeks out an agenda for cooperation and shapes discussions in the regions and the wider world. The strategy outlines nine core lines of effort centered on international norms, priority sectors, and cooperation through partnerships. India-RoK bilateral defence deals and the recently held Korea-India Foreign Policy and Security Dialogue show the convergence between India and South Korea. They see India as a special strategic partner. Korea’s aging population and technology could combine with progressive youthful India and make a manufacturing hub. We also need to explore opportunities to work jointly in third countries. On bilateral terms, India has widely supported South Korea over the looming North Korean nuclear threat and has expressed apprehension regarding North Korea’s missile tests at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). Seoul has also pledged to strengthen the foundation for increased economic cooperation by upgrading the ROK-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). The big elephant in the room is India’s rising trade deficit. India has been negotiating with the Korean government for opening up its markets for Indian products. In a competitive world, India has to offer products that RoK can buy. Also, the Korean friends tell us that it is better for India to have a trade deficit with them than with China. India and South Korea have increased their defence and security cooperation. The K9 Vajra, the 155mm artillery gun, is produced by the Indian company L&T, with Korea’s Hanwha Defence. Indian companies have reached out to reliable Korean partners to explore collaborations on utility helicopters, light tanks, diesel submarines, and military-grade lithium batteries. Korean industry is also considering transferring various advanced naval shipbuilding technologies to support upcoming Indian naval projects, such as Mine Countermeasure Vessels (MCMV), Fleet Support Ships (FSS), and Landing Platform Docks (LPD). Though there remain issues of the extent of technology transfer and the quantum of investments. These bottlenecks need resolution. Perhaps it’s best to target low-hanging fruits. Semiconductor collaboration would be mutually beneficial, and so will be electric vehicles. RoK and Indian aircrew interacted with each other at a multilateral air exercise in the UAE. These need to be built on through greater military exchanges to transform the warm friendship into a strong strategic partnership. The two are vibrant democracies with similar value systems and somewhat linked destinies. Economic and defence cooperation are the two main pillars. We need to bridge the distance. RoK greatly appreciates the work done during India’s G20 Presidency and its motto, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, which translates to “One Earth, One Family, One Future.” Both nations have a significant interest in the outcome of the ongoing power struggle between the US and China and need to work closely. Progress has to be driven by a substantial alignment of interests, reciprocal positive sentiments, and frequent high-level interactions. We need to find ways to strengthen complementarities and iron out differences to build stronger bilateral, minilateral, and multilateral connections between the two major middle powers. Freedom, peace, and prosperity are the desired goals. Trust and mutual benefit will be the pillars. The writer is Director General, Centre for Air Power Studies. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.