President Yoon Suk-yeol emphasized the development of a "spe­cial strategic partner­ship" during his meeting with Indian Prime Minister Naren­dra Modi. President Yoon Suk-yeol, who was visiting Hiroshima, Japan to attend the G7 Summit, had a the South Korea-India Sum­mit with Prime Minister Nar­endra Modi at 10:30 a.m. today (May 20, Saturday).

This summit, held as the first face-to-face meeting be­tween the two leaders to com­memorate the 50th anniversa­ry of South Korea-India diplo­matic relations this year, aims to strengthen close exchanges between the two countries, including the upcoming G20 Summit in September, and to solidify the "special strategic partnership" between the two nations.

President Yoon expressed his gratitude for Prime Min­ister Modi's attendance at the Second Democracy Summit, co-hosted by South Korea and the United States, in March, and stated that South Korea and India, who share demo­cratic values, should work to­gether to address regional and global issues. Prime Minister Modi expressed his agreement and responded by emphasizing the enhancement of strategic communication and cooper­ation between the two coun­tries.

Both leaders agreed to fur­ther develop cooperation in ad­vanced technology fields such as defense cooperation, includ­ing the K-9 self-propelled how­itzer (known as Vajra in India), as well as digital, biohealth, and space sectors. In particu­lar, they discussed upgrading the South Korea-India Compre­hensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) that came into effect in 2010 to expand bilateral trade and explore cooperation in new areas in preparation for the upcoming 50 years. President Yoon spe­cifically requested Prime Min­ister Modi's attention to ensure appropriate tariff criteria for South Korean companies oper­ating in India.

The two leaders also dis­cussed the Korean Peninsula, the Indo-Pacific region, and the global situation. They agreed that South Korea and India, as like-minded countries, are establishing a framework of co­operation based on the solidar­ity of democracy and expressed their commitment to contribute to regional peace and stability in harmony with South Korea's Indo-Pacific strategy and In­dia's Act East Policy. They also pledged to support the devel­opment and climate response efforts of the Global South, which refers to emerging and developing countries.

While activating high-lev­el channels between the two countries, the two leaders agreed to meet again and con­tinue discussions during the G20 Summit in India in Sep­tember.