New Delhi: India and South Korea Wednesday signed key agreements to shore up cooperation in defence cyberspace and military training, reaffirming their commitment to stronger bilateral defence ties and a rules-based Indo-Pacific, a region that has witnessed increasing Chinese assertiveness.
The pacts were firmed up following Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s wide-ranging talks in Seoul with his South Korean counterpart Ahn Gyu-back.
The defence minister landed in the South Korean capital city last evening on a three-day visit.
Singh and Gyu-back reviewed the entire spectrum of defence cooperation and discussed ways to further expand collaboration in areas such as joint production of military hardware, maritime security, emerging technologies and regional security.
Besides the pacts on cyberspace and training, two agreements were firmed up between India’s L&T and South Korea’s Hanwa Co Ltd.
Speaking at an Indian diaspora event, Singh described Operation Sindoor as a testament to India’s transformation into a strong, confident and capable nation.
The operation was proof that India will not tolerate terrorism in any form. As a responsible nuclear power, we firmly adhere to a policy of No First Use, he said.
However, there are times when people mistake our restraint and commitment to peace for weakness. While India remains committed to its No First Use policy, it will not tolerate any form of nuclear blackmail. This is new India, he said, in an indirect message to Pakistan.
The defence ministry said the agreements signed between India and South Korea signalled a promising future for India-Korea defence innovation and technology partnership.
The success of India-Korea industrial cooperation in the commercial sector demonstrates the enormous potential of long-term trusted partnerships between the two countries, Singh told a group of South Korean business leaders.
The time has now come to extend this successful model into the defence sector, where technology, innovation, manufacturing capability, and strategic trust are becoming increasingly interconnected, he said.
The defence minister said South Korea’s technological excellence, combined with India’s scale, talent and manufacturing ecosystem can create a powerful foundation for cooperation.
Together, our two countries can jointly develop and produce advanced technologies and defence systems for the future. Trusted partnerships between technologically capable nations acquire immense strategic importance, he said.
The defence minister said India and South Korea are uniquely positioned to work together in this changing global landscape.
Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were signed in key areas of defence cooperation, reflecting the expanding scope and depth of the bilateral partnership, an official readout said.
It said agreements were exchanged on promoting cooperation in the field of defence cyberspace; training between India’s National Defence College and Korea National Defence University; and for cooperation in UN Peacekeeping missions.
In his remarks to the business leaders, Singh highlighted that defence manufacturing is no longer confined only to conventional platforms and equipment, as modern defence ecosystems are powered by advanced electronics, artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, semiconductors, quantum technologies and space-based capabilities.
He added that the future of defence will increasingly depend upon the ability to innovate rapidly and integrate technologies across multiple domains. This, he stated, is precisely where India and RoK possess enormous potential for collaboration.
In his address at the diaspora event, Singh also underscored the rise in India’s global stature due to unprecedented progress made under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.
12-13 years ago, India was perceived as a weak nation, but, today, due to the transformation the country has undergone in the last decade, the world carefully listens to what we have to say.
We’re now emerging as a global power that offers solutions to the world. Whether internal or external security, our policy has undergone a fundamental transformation; it has become assertive, bold, consistent, and decisive, he said.
Singh reiterated the government’s commitment to achieve self-reliance in defence manufacturing, stating that the all-time high figures of approximately.
Rs 1.54 lakh crore worth of defence production and nearly Rs 40,000 crore worth of defence exports in financial year 2025-26 are results of persistent efforts, he said.
He added that defence exports are poised to reach Rs 50,000 crore within the next one-two years, while defence production is projected to rise to Rs 1.75 lakh crore in the next couple of months.
