"Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India has deep respect for Korea and Korea's development achievements. I believe this state visit is the result of the strong will that Prime Minister Modi and President Lee Jae-myung have shown for advancing bilateral relations."
Gorangal Das, India's ambassador to Korea, said this at a press briefing held on the afternoon of the 7th at the Indian ambassador's residence in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Hosted by the Indian Embassy in Korea, the briefing was arranged to commemorate President Lee's state visit to India on the 19th to 21st of last month and to explain in detail the roadmap for bilateral cooperation. Earlier, President Lee visited New Delhi, India, from the 19th to the 21st of last month and held a summit with Prime Minister Modi.
Das said, "About 25 years ago, when Prime Minister Modi first took office as chief minister of Gujarat, he was asked at a press conference about his vision and said, 'I want to make Gujarat a region like Korea.' It was a somewhat surprising remark at the time, but it means he has highly valued Korea's industrialization and development model."
He also made clear that Korea is an important democracy partner and a manufacturing collaborator for India. In particular, he said Korean corporations are already achieving great success in India in electronics and automobiles, adding, "Samsung Electronics is India's largest smartphone manufacturer, and Hyundai Motor is the No. 2 automaker in India."
The briefing devoted much time to explaining the significance of bilateral cooperation centered on India's "Viksit Bharat" plan. India is pushing to expand the size of its economy, build a manufacturing hub, and modernize infrastructure with the goal of joining the ranks of developed countries by 2047.
Das said, "The two countries reaffirmed the goal of expanding trade to $50 billion (72.385 trillion won) by 2030 from the current roughly $25 billion (36.1925 trillion won)," and he expected cooperation to strengthen especially in shipbuilding, semiconductors, and artificial intelligence (AI).
He said, "India is dramatically expanding its shipbuilding capacity, and Korea is the top partner of choice. India is also rapidly building a semiconductor ecosystem. Recently, Micron in the United States completed its first semiconductor packaging facility in India, and it was at a record pace of less than two years."
He also explained, "The two countries are complementary in AI as well. India has a rich base of data and talent, and Korea has world-class semiconductor and computing capabilities."
He noted that Korea's technology will play an important role in India's developing steel industry. Das said, "Among major countries, India is almost the only one where the steel industry continues to grow. India aims to produce 500 million tons annually by 2040 and is pursuing the development of eco-friendly steel technologies that reduce carbon emissions. Korea's technology can be a big help."
At the Korea-India Business Forum held during President Lee's visit to India, more than 250 Korean businesspeople and more than 350 Indian businesspeople discussed cooperation in advanced manufacturing, steel, the digital economy, and the energy transition. From Korea, major conglomerate chiefs attended, including Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun, LG Chairman Koo Kwang-mo, POSCO Holdings Chairman Chang In-hwa, and HD Hyundai Chairman Chung Ki-sun.
On the back of the forum, POSCO Holdings finalized an investment by signing a joint venture agreement for an integrated steel mill in India with India's JSW Group worth $7.29 billion (10.5602 trillion won). Hyundai Motor decided to pursue the joint development of eco-friendly, high-safety three-wheeled EVs with TVS Motor Company.
Das said he will host "2026 India Day," the first event in Korea to introduce India, on the 16th. He also emphasized, "The world is now undergoing massive changes—geopolitical conflicts, supply chain instability, the energy crisis, and a technology shift centered on AI. At such a time, it is very important for like-minded countries such as India and Korea to review the situation together and discuss future directions for cooperation."