Indian defense minister looks to Korea for business growth

Published : Apr 21, 2015 - 20:20 Updated : Apr 22, 2015 - 08:38

Indian Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar, who visited Seoul for bilateral talks with Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo, met with Indian software and electrical engineers who are working in Korea to talk about entrepreneurship and the IT of both nations.

The meeting between the Indian minister and engineers was held at the request of the 35-member Korean chapter of Pan IIT Alumni Association, an alumni organization of India’s prestigious tech university, the Indian Institute of Technology. The meeting took place at the Seoul Millennium Hilton Hotel on Saturday.

Parrikar, an IIT alumnus, placed emphasis on entrepreneurship, encouraging participants to bring knowledge and experience that they learned from South Korea to make contributions to business growth in India.

Indian Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar (eighth from right) and Indian IT engineers, who work for tech firms in Korea, pose after a meeting in Seoul on Saturday.

Parrikar highlighted the Indian government’s initiatives to build up defense technology and foster a start-up ecosystem in India.

“The meeting with the defense minister was truly an inspirational experience for all the members in our association,” said Pankaj Agarwal, president of the alumni group in Korea.

Agarwal, a senior manager of Samsung’s technology strategy team, has worked for the Korean tech giant since 2006.

IIT graduates ― some of whom work for Seoul-based tech giants including Samsung Electronics ― introduced the Indian minister to positive aspects of Korean society and advanced local technology that could be adopted in India, such as those for the safety of women, Agarwal said.

The IIT Alumni Association-Korea, which was established in January this year, aims to build a professional network for its graduates and enhance the brand equity of both India and IIT in Korea.

At the Saturday meeting, Defense Minister Parrikar was accompanied by his secretaries and officials from the Indian government including Upendar S. Rawat, Counselor and Deputy Chief of Mission at the Indian Embassy in Korea; and Colonel Ajay Chandpuria, Defense Attache at the Indian Embassy in Korea.

By Kim Young-won (wone0102@heraldcorp.com)