Will the outcome of the upcoming presidential poll in South Korea hurt South Korea’s ties with India? Observers believe the ties between the two democracies are poised to grow in the future, irrespective of who the new occupant of the Blue House might be. Observers say there are apprehensions in a section of the international public spectrum that in the country’s presidential election, scheduled for June 3, South Korea’s Democratic Party’s leader, Lee Jae-myung might emerge as a winner. Lee is unlike Yoon Suk Yeol, who has recently been ousted from the office of President in South Korea. Yoon was for building a coalition of countries sharing the values of democracy, human rights and a rules-based international order. In contrast, Lee is pro-China. His presidency might not be very inclined to friendly ties with the democracies, including India.
Such fears, the observers say, are largely unfounded. It is right now hard to predict who will eventually emerge as South Korea’s new president. Making any such predictions in any democratic state can be too risky. There have been allegations of corruption against the former governor of Gyeonggi Province, Lee. The People Power Party, to which the ousted Yoon belonged, is presently shaken. But it cannot be written off in the upcoming presidential race. The prominent figures in the presidential race include former Labor Minister Kim Moon-soo, former PPP Chairman Han Dong-hoon, PPP lawmakers Ahn Cheol-soo and Na Kyung-won, and former Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo.
Besides, it would be naïve to assume that Lee, if elected the country’s president, would adopt such policies as would strain South Korea’s ties with India. South Korea is a democracy. No president of the country would even conceive of antagonising India, the world’s largest democracy. South Korea today is known for its economic development, democratic consolidation, vibrant civil society, and emergence as a cultural powerhouse. There is a near consensus across the South Korean political spectrum to build on its remarkable achievements and take the nation forward.
The consensus goes that South Korea’s ties with India must be preserved and promoted. South Korea and India signed the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (2010) and the Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement (2011). During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Seoul in May 2015, the two sides elevated their ties to a ‘Special Strategic Partnership’. In 2018, they signed 11 agreements, including in the areas of trade, cultural, scientific and technological cooperation. In 2019, they concluded seven agreements to enhance cooperation in areas, including infrastructure development, start-ups and combating trans-border and international terror. All these agreements are precious to South Korea.
Lee is likely to follow, not disturb, South Korea’s present foreign policy consensus. South Korea today is said to be looking to double or even triple its investments and business activities in India.
At a function in Haryana’s Model Economic Township the other day, South Korean Ambassador to India, Lee Seong-ho talked of the growing interest among Korean companies in India’s expanding industrial and healthcare ecosystem. Needless to say, South Korea’s interest in India aligns with the Modi government’s ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ initiatives.
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