Korea, India deepen defense ties with new military agreements

Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back, left, shakes hands with Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh at the ministry's office in Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of the Ministry of Defense

Korea and India are deepening their military ties and defense manufacturing cooperation, signing a series of new agreements on Wednesday as both nations seek to fortify their special strategic partnership amid shifting geopolitical alliances across Asia.

Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back met Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh at Korea’s Ministry of National Defense, where the two sides discussed expanding defense cooperation across military, cybersecurity and peacekeeping operations.

The visit marked the first trip to Korea by an Indian defense minister since 2019.

The meeting followed agreements reached during last year’s Association of Southeast Asian Nations Defense Ministers’ Meeting-Plus, where Ahn invited Singh to Seoul.

The two ministers said they will build on the joint strategic vision announced during a Korea-India summit in April by broadening cooperation in defense and arms production.

Both sides also agreed on the need to strengthen regular bilateral consultation channels to create a more systematic framework for military cooperation.

Officials said the ministers highly evaluated previous defense industry cooperation projects, including India’s acquisition and production of the K9 self-propelled howitzer.

The talks also resulted in the signing of several agreements covering defense cyber cooperation, collaboration in United Nations peacekeeping operations and exchanges between the two countries’ national defense universities.

The agreements are intended to establish a more practical and institutionalized foundation for long-term military cooperation, the ministry said.

During the meeting, Ahn also explained Korea’s efforts to restore inter-Korean trust and resume dialogue with North Korea as part of the government’s policy aimed at achieving peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula.

Ahn asked for India’s continued support for those efforts, officials said.

The two ministers agreed to continue developing mutually beneficial cooperation as trusted regional partners, according to the ministry.

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.