Jaishankar urges closer India-South Korea ties, warns of prioritised interests of few nations

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Thursday called for closer cooperation between India and South Korea in ship-building, digital, health, infrastructure and defence sectors, while cautioning that the interests of a few nations are being openly prioritised at the cost of many.

Speaking at the Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity 2026 in South Korea, Mr. Jaishankar emphasised the need for economic and technology partnerships, political and strategic cooperation, and stronger people-to-people ties between New Delhi and Seoul. He said both countries have complementarities in these fields that are 'just waiting to be exploited'.

The Minister also stressed that the Global South must be given greater capacity and opportunities to create new factors of global growth. Without naming any country, he remarked that 'as the interests of a few are openly prioritised, the costs to the many are less considered' and that this imbalance can only be countered by cooperation on more issues with more players.

Mr. Jaishankar highlighted the urgency of international cooperation in addressing challenges such as pandemics, terrorism, and extreme climate events, which cannot be contained within political borders. He also met former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and former Mongolian Prime Minister Gombojav Zandanshatar on the sidelines of the forum.

Earlier on Wednesday, Mr. Jaishankar held talks with his South Korean counterpart Cho Hyun, focusing on bilateral cooperation and the rapidly changing global situation. The discussions included follow-up measures in trade, investment, and finance agreed during South Korean President Lee Jae-myung's state visit to India in April.

Mr. Jaishankar is on a two-day visit to South Korea, the second leg of an ongoing foreign tour after Mongolia.