It has been over 50 years of India and Republic of Korea (South Korea) establishing diplomatic relations on December 10, 1973. Since then, both the countries have engaged in several meetings and on Monday (July 21), the 13th high-level meeting took place between the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and the Korea Coast Guard (KCG).
ICG and KCG’s 13th high-level meeting was co-chaired by Director General ICG S Paramesh and Commissioner General KIM Yong Jin, Commissioner General, KCG, who is currently leading a five-member delegation on an official visit to India from July 20-24, 2025.
What happened during Indian Coast Guard and Korea Coast Guard’s 13th high-level meeting?
During this crucial meet held in New Delhi, both sides engaged in discussions to boost cooperation in Maritime Search and Rescue (SAR), Pollution Response (PR), and Maritime Law Enforcement (MLE). Additionally, they reaffirmed their commitment to share best practices and enhance interoperability under the 2006 Memorandum of Understadning (MoU).
In February 2006, India and South Korea had signed an MoU for co-operation in science and technology. During this time, then President APJ Abdul Kalam had hinted that a bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) could be considered within the ambit of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).
The 2006 MoU signed between India’s Department of Science and Technology and Korea Industrial Technology Foundation was aimed at sharing of work for promoting technology innovation and industrial cooperation.
What’s next?
The Korea Coast Guard delegation is also slated to travel to Mumbai from July 23-24 as part of their visit. This would be an industrial visit to leading defence PSU Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) and to an ICG patrol vessel, aimed at strengthening maritime industrial and operational linkages.