3 min readNew DelhiApr 20, 2026 04:25 AM IST
The visiting South Korean President Lee Jae Myung will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday and discuss shipbuilding, trade, investments, AI, semiconductors, critical and emerging technologies.
On Sunday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called on President Lee as he kicked off his visit to India.
“Honoured to call on President @Jaemyung_Lee of the Republic of Korea as he begins his State Visit to India. Value his commitment to deepen India-Korea relations across multiple domains.
“Confident that his talks tomorrow with PM @narendramodi will further strengthen our Special Strategic Partnership,” Jaishankar said on X.
The South Korean President began his three-day state visit to India on Sunday, the Ministry of External Affairs said. He and Prime Minister Modi will also exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest.
Lee will also meet President Droupadi Murmu, who will host a banquet in his honour.
“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,” the MEA said in a statement on Thursday.
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President Lee’s visit, from April 19 to 21, marks the first state visit to India by a South Korean President in eight years.
On Monday, the schedule begins with an official welcoming ceremony and wreath-laying at the Gandhi Memorial Park, followed by small-group talks, expanded talks, an MOU exchange ceremony, a joint press conference, and a luncheon hosted by Prime Minister Modi.
Following this, the Korea-India Business Dialogue will take place where the leaders of both countries and representatives of major companies will explore mutually beneficial cooperation measures focusing on sectors where their respective strengths and needs align.
President Lee will then interact with key figures from the business communities of both countries at the Korea-India Business Forum, and subsequently attend a state dinner hosted by President Murmu.
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South Korean officials said this is the full-scale launch of Global South diplomacy.
Following the meeting between the leaders of the two countries during last year’s G7 and G20 summits, this state visit—which took place in the shortest period since the inauguration of any previous government—will comprehensively strengthen the special strategic partnership between South Korea and India and present a vision for expanding mutually beneficial strategic cooperation, South Korean officials said.
South Korean officials said they will lay the groundwork for achieving $50 billion in bilateral trade by 2030 by accelerating negotiations to improve the Korea-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, and open a new chapter in bilateral economic cooperation.
