Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive in Seoul on Monday to bolster economic and diplomatic ties with South Korea, amid his push for the “Act East” policy, aimed at upgrading relations with India’s eastern neighbors.
On his first day in South Korea, the third leg of a three-nation trip that also includes visits to China and Mongolia, Modi will hold a summit meeting with President Park Geun-hye, which is expected to focus on bolstering bilateral economic cooperation.
During the summit, Modi is expected to call for South Korea to provide investment and support for his “Make in India” drive ― aimed at bolstering India’s manufacturing sector ― and its participation in infrastructure projects including one to build “smart cities” across the world’s largest democracy.
Observers say that Modi is also likely to ask Seoul to support India’s efforts to become a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council.
President Park is expected to ask Modi to support Seoul’s efforts to denuclearize North Korea and its policy to achieve a peaceful reunification of the Korean Peninsula.
India, which maintains diplomatic relations with both Koreas, has supported South Korea’s pursuit of a unified Korea and its endeavors to keep Pyongyang from developing nuclear arms and delivery systems such as long-range missiles.
Park and Modi held their first summit last November in Myanmar on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit and ASEAN Plus Three Summit. At the meeting, they discussed ways to bolster their strategic partnership signed in 2010.
Modi’s “Make in India” drive is likely to be highlighted during his meetings with Korean business leaders including Hyundai Heavy Industries chairman Choi Kil-seon, POSCO chairman Kwon Oh-jun and Samsung Electronics mobile chief Shin Jong-kyun.
In particular, Modi is to travel to a Hyundai Heavy Industries shipyard in Ulsan on Tuesday.
Industry watchers say that Modi’s visit to the shipyard is in connection with his push to construct a large-scale shipyard to build ships to transport liquefied natural gas. The Modi government wants South Korean firms to participate in his efforts to manufacture LNG ships in India.
By Song Sang-ho (
sshluck@heraldcorp.com)
