President Lee Jae-myung will visit India and Vietnam from the 19th to the 24th for six days and five nights. Both are state visits, and discussions are expected to explore cooperation measures such as energy supply chains amid a crisis originating in the Middle East. The trip will also feature a "business forum" to open the door for small and mid-sized companies to invest in shipbuilding, maritime, finance, artificial intelligence (AI), and defense, joined by the heads of the four major conglomerates.
According to National Security Advisor Wi Sung-lac on the 16th, Lee will stay in New Delhi from the 19th to the 21st at the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A Korean president's state visit to India will be the first in eight years since the Moon Jae-in administration in 2018, and it has been arranged in the shortest time since the launch of any administration.
On the first day, Lee will meet with India's external affairs minister and attend a dinner meeting with the Korean community. On the 20th, starting with an official welcome ceremony and a wreath-laying at the "Gandhi Memorial," the two sides will hold a small-group summit and an expanded summit, followed by the exchange of memorandums of understanding (MOUs). Lee will then make a joint press announcement and have a luncheon with Modi.
The same day, Lee will attend the "Korea-India Business Dialogue," where leaders of major corporations from both countries will gather to discuss economic cooperation. Indian President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Modi will attend. Lee will then network with key economic figures from both countries at the Korea-India Business Forum before attending a state dinner hosted by the president.
Cheong Wa Dae expects the visit to India to serve as an opportunity for the two countries to improve the "Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement" and lay the groundwork to reach "$50 billion in trade" by 2030. The Deputy Minister said, "India, a core country in 'Global South diplomacy' with a population of 1.4 billion, the world's No. 4 economy, and 7% annual high growth, is a key partner for Korea's national-interest-centered, practical diplomacy and external expansion."
After wrapping up the India schedule, Lee will arrive in Hanoi, Vietnam, on the evening of the 21st (local time) and begin the Vietnam schedule the next day with a luncheon meeting with the Korean community. Lee will also hold a summit with Communist Party General Secretary Trong, an MOU exchange ceremony, and a joint press announcement, followed by a state dinner. On the 23rd, Lee plans to meet and have lunch with the prime minister and the National Assembly speaker, Vietnam's Nos. 2 and 3 in protocol order. There, Lee will work to resolve difficulties faced by Korean corporations operating in Vietnam and exchange views on improving conditions for overseas Koreans' stays.
At the Korea-Vietnam Business Forum on the same day, the two countries will discuss economic cooperation in trade and investment, AI, science and technology, and the energy transition. On the 24th, the following day, Lee will conclude his Vietnam visit with a friendship schedule with General Secretary Trong.
The Deputy Minister said, "We will advance strategic economic cooperation between Korea and Vietnam and achieve $150 billion in bilateral trade by 2030," adding, "Amid growing global uncertainty, we will strengthen mutually beneficial and strategic cooperation and communication not only for stabilizing energy supply chains and an economic security partnership but also in key areas such as infrastructure and nuclear power."