Moon visits Samsung factory in India

President Moon Jae-in and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attend the completion ceremony for Samsung Electronics' mobile phone factory in Noida, India, Monday. Samsung Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, second from left in the second row, showed them around the facilities. / Joint Press Corps

President, Samsung heir meet 1st time since corruption scandal

By Kim Rahn

President Moon Jae-in attended a completion ceremony for Samsung Electronics' mobile phone factory in India, Monday, his first participation in a Samsung Group event since his inauguration in May last year.

There he met Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, for whom it was the first public appearance since he resumed work after being released from prison in February. Lee had been behind bars awaiting an appeal against a conviction for bribery stemming from the massive corruption scandal that ousted Moon's predecessor, Park Geun-hye.

On the second day of his state visit to India, Moon took part in the ceremony for the largest cell phone plant in India, at Noida, near New Delhi, in which Samsung Electronics invested $650 million. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also attended the ceremony, and Lee showed them around the facilities.

Moon's visit to the factory and meeting with Samsung officials there was aimed at encouraging the company which is engaged in fierce competition with Chinese manufacturers in the Indian mobile phone market, according to Cheong Wa Dae.

“The Korean government will make the utmost efforts so the factory will become a symbol of cooperation between India and Korea,” Moon said at the ceremony. “The Noida factory is Samsung Electronics' largest smartphone manufacturing base. As the factory goes into full operation, the Indian and Korean economy will develop together.”

The encounter drew attention as Lee's appeal hearing is ongoing, while Moon was the one who called for eradicating deep-rooted corrupt ties between politics and business, especially after the presidential corruption scandal involving Park, her longtime confidant Choi Soon-sil, and Samsung and other conglomerates.

Regarding Lee's participation and the meeting, a senior Cheong Wa Dae official earlier dismissed any political interpretation. “Why can't Lee come? So far we have never told any specific CEOs to come or not to come to Moon's business-related events,” he said.

The official added that in Moon's previous visits to factories and workplaces of other companies, the CEOs or chairmen of the firms used to greet the President and show him around, saying there was no political consideration in Moon's visit to the Samsung plant.

About 300 people from the two countries, including officials from the government, Samsung Electronics and its subcontractors, attended the ceremony. Nearly 50 subcontractors from Korea and India will work with Samsung on the products to be made at the new factory.

Earlier in the day, Moon also attended a business forum in New Delhi, where about 400 businesspeople and government officials concerned with the economies of the two nations participated. Five hundred Korean companies currently operate in India.

In a keynote speech, Moon stressed the importance of India as a key partner for his New Southern Policy, which seeks more economic cooperation and exchanges among Korea, Southeast Asia and India.

“My New Southern Policy is in line with Prime Minister Modi's Act East Policy,” Moon said. “The two policies will be completed with prosperity for the whole of Asia.”

He said Korean companies are expected to their expand business in India into more varied fields, and encouraged Indian companies to invest in Korea.

“Korea is facing a historic turning point and it is the right time to invest in Korea,” he said. “We've opened the door toward peace on the Korean Peninsula through inter-Korean and Washington-Pyongyang summits. If peace is established, investment conditions in Korea will be better and there will be more business opportunities.”

Moon said the two nations can lead in the Fourth Industrial Revolution if India's advanced scientific technology, quality human resources and its vast market are combined with Korea's applied technology, experience and capital.

During the trip, the President also visited the Gandhi Memorial Museum, together with Modi, and paid his respects to the memory of the great leader. They then moved to the Samsung factory via subway, meeting Indian citizens. Moon also met Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj.