3 min readNew DelhiApr 16, 2026 07:49 PM IST
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung will be visiting India from April 19 to 21, accompanied by First Lady Kim Hea Kyung and a high-level delegation comprising ministers, senior officials and business leaders, as part of Seoul’s Global South diplomacy. This will be President Lee’s maiden visit to India after assuming office in June 2025, and the first visit by any South Korean President in over eight years.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Lee met last year during the G7 and G20 summits, and the visit is expected to strengthen the special strategic partnership between the two nations. In a bilateral meeting during the visit, the two leaders are expected to discuss bilateral cooperation in areas such as shipbuilding, trade, investments, AI, semiconductors, critical and emerging technologies, people-to-people connect and cultural exchanges.
The visiting President’s itinerary includes a lunch hosted by PM Modi, a state banquet hosted by President Droupadi Murmu, a meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, and a business forum meeting with top corporate executives from both the nations.
In a statement released Thursday, the MEA said that the two nations share a “multifaceted partnership rooted in ancient civilisational ties and shared values of democracy and rule of law. The visit of President Lee underscores the shared aspiration of both countries to further strengthen the existing areas of cooperation while expanding collaboration in new and emerging areas of mutual interest”.
Economic relations between India and South Korea gathered momentum following the implementation of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in 2010. The bilateral trade between the two countries stood at USD 21.5 billion between January and October 2025, and USD 25.1 billion in 2024. India’s major exports to South Korea include aluminum, iron, steel and cereals. South Korea is the 15th largest FDI investor in India, with a total investment of USD 929 million in 2024.
It is expected that the two leaders will underline their mutual commitment to ensure smooth energy supply chains amid disruptions marked by the war in West Asia, and to constructive cooperation for peace on the Korean Peninsula and in the region.
