His Excellency, Dr. C.T. Aravindakumar, Vice-Chancellor of MG University
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good morning,
Firstly, I am very pleased and honored to attend this conference celebrating the 50th anniversary of India-Republic of Korea relations. I would also like to extend my gratitude to MG University for inviting me to this wonderful event. This is my second visit to the Kerala State.
I am Consul General in Chennai and took charge of this post last July. During my seven months here, I have come to understand that both countries are close partners, even though our diplomatic relations are shorter than others, and that Korean companies and K-culture are well accepted by many Indian friends. I am always thankful for the interest of Indian friends toward Korea. India is very diverse in terms of culture, language, ethnicity, and religion with its long history, which makes it very difficult to understand India in a short period of time. I am carefully studying India and want to be a careful listener and play a bridging role connecting two peoples during my term in India and thereafter.
As all of us are well aware, last year, 2023, marked the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between India and Korea. Since establishing diplomatic ties in 1973, our two countries have witnessed closer cooperation in comprehensive areas, including politics, trade and economy, and people-to-people contact and cultural exchange.
To commemorate this milestone, we held bilateral summits, high-level official visits, exchange of business delegations, a series of cultural performances, and international conferences. In terms of cultural performances, the Ulsan Metropolitan Dance Company, which consisted of 50 persons, showcased the beauty of Korean traditional music and dance to the people in Chennai and Bengaluru.
Even though this conference is being held one year later than the 50th anniversary, it is still worthwhile to review what we have achieved during the last 50 years and what we should do to realize our vision for the next 50 years.
In particular, over the last several years, the world has experienced critical changes that we had not expected before. The unprecedented pandemic of Covid-19 halted our normal life for almost 3 years, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the growing tension between the USA and China heavily influenced the order of international economics as well as security. Multilateralism and a rule-based international order seem to no longer work, and the current system is now under uncertainty and unpredictability. Indeed, how to secure the stable supply of critical minerals and maintain supply chain resilience are becoming more important.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Taking this situation into account, I want to briefly touch upon the past, present, and future of our relationship bilaterally and in a regional context.
Though our two countries are more than 4,500km apart, we have many similarities in our long history of relations. From the marriage of an Indian princess to a Korean king two thousand years ago, to the modern history of colonialism and the independence movement in the 20th century, both countries share a similar past. Also Koreans never forget India’s participation in the Korean War in 1950 to keep peace on the Korean peninsula.
Now, both countries have much in common in terms of culture and language. Both people respect family value and share many words. Maybe that is why Korean Wave has captured the imagination of Indian people. K-pop, K-drama, and K-food have become increasingly popular with Indian youngsters.
In economics, given the complementary nature of our economic and industrial structures, Korea and India are natural win-win partners. In particular, due to the geographical advantage of southern India, including Tamil Nadu, it has been a gateway of Korean investment to India. Korean big companies, including Hyundai, Kia, Samsung, and LG, are contributing to the success of the Make in India policy. And bilateral trade volume reached consecutive record highs in 2021 and 2022 despite Covid-19.
Also Both countries share fundamental values, such as democracy, the rule of law, and a free-market economy. While India boasts the biggest democratic society in the world, Korea also achieved it with our bare hands from military authoritarian government. Currently, both countries form a special strategic partnership since 2015 and are cooperating to further develop it to a higher level.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I believe that in the coming decades, our two countries will share a promising future of prosperity and stability by maximizing synergies between us and developing untapped bilateral relationships.
India is expected to be a developed country in 2047, on its one hundredth anniversary of independence, with a $30 trillion economic size. And as the Indian Foreign Minister interviewed the Korean Chosun daily recently, there are many areas of cooperation from defence industry cooperation to start-ups, the digital revolution including AI, and the utilization of Indian young engineers for co-prosperity. Potential synergies between the two countries are huge and are sure to be well materialized.
For regional stability, we could contribute to building a rules-based international order and peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond. Korea unveiled its Indo-Pacific strategy in December 2022, which is Korea’s first-ever comprehensive regional strategy. Enhancing bilateral special strategic partnership with India is a crucial element of Korea’s Indo-Pacific policy. Indeed, India’s vision for the Indo-Pacific and Korea’s Indo-Pacific strategy have much in common. There is accordingly much untapped potential for cooperation.
I would like to express my deep gratitude to all professors and scholars who attend this conference and look forward to very fruitful discussions to deepen our relations.
In closing, I would like to celebrate the golden jubilee of diplomatic relations. And I am sure that our partnership will continue to grow for the next 50 years and beyond.
Thank you for your attention, 감사합니다.