| President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee disembark from the presidential jet after landing at Palam Air Force Station in New Delhi, India, Friday (local time). Yoon is set to attend the Group of 20 Summit hosted by India. Yonhap |
By Nam Hyun-woo
NEW DELHI ― President Yoon Suk Yeol arrived in India on Friday evening (local time) to attend the Group of 20 (G20) summit.
The Indian capital is the second stop on Yoon's seven-day trip after Jakarta, Indonesia, where he attended summits related to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). It also marks the second time that Yoon will attend the G20 summit, following last year's edition in Bali, Indonesia.
At the G20 summit, Yoon will attend three sessions: One Earth, One Family and One Future. He will discuss climate change, the environment and the energy transition with participating leaders and stress South Korea's commitment to contribute to a free, peaceful and prosperous future by safeguarding the international order.
On the sidelines of the event, Yoon is scheduled to have bilateral summits with the leaders of India, Spain, Argentina, Bangladesh, Comoros and others.
“In order to overcome the challenges facing humanity and move toward shared prosperity for 'One Future,' the G20 must demonstrate its leadership as it is a premier forum for international economic cooperation,” Yoon said during a written interview with the Times of India.
“The Republic of Korea will continue to actively participate in G20 efforts to respond to the global poly-crisis and work closely together with India to address issues concerning the Global South.”
While in New Delhi, Yoon is also expected to reiterate the key aspects of the strengthened cooperation between Korea, the United States and Japan, and their respective commitment to regional peace and prosperity.
All this is set to take place even as Chinese President Xi Jinping elects to skip the G20 summit, apparently due to recent tensions with India surrounding Beijing's new “standard map” which depicts the northeastern part of India as China's territory.
With U.S. President Joe Biden attending the G20, Yoon will likely stress that Seoul is standing by Washington, as showcased in the trilateral summit between South Korea, the U.S. and Japan at Camp David last month, in a bid to enlarge Seoul's presence on the global diplomatic stage.
“When it comes to the strategic meaning of Yoon's trip this time, it can be seen as an effort to extend the collaborative efforts announced during the Camp David summit in August by Korea, the U.S. and Japan, so that the three countries' commitment to cooperating with ASEAN and Pacific Island nations for regional peace and prosperity can be reached out to by major countries and the international community,” Seoul's First Deputy Director of National Security Kim Tae-hyo said.
| President Yoon Suk Yeol raises his thumb after watching a welcome performance upon his arrival at Palam Air Force Station, New Delhi, India, Friday (local time). Yonhap |
Engagement with India also holds plenty of significance for Yoon.
Last year, India became the world's most populous nation, with its median age standing at 28.7. Buoyed by its young population, the country's growth rate stood at 7.2 percent last year. Senior presidential secretary for economic affairs Choi Sang-mok described India as a “rising international powerhouse.”
This makes India an attractive destination for Korea, which has to seek new export markets to sustain its growth.
During the scheduled summit between Yoon and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the two sides will explore ideas to expand bilateral partnerships in the fields of defense, advanced technologies, the environment and space, so that they can upgrade their Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).
“Prime Minister Modi and I intend to discuss how to strengthen our bilateral defense industry cooperation ― the K9 self-propelled howitzers, known as Varja in India, being the best example ― as well as how to expand supply-chain collaboration with a focus on IT and other high-tech fields,” Yoon said in the interview.
“In addition, we plan to seek progress in the negotiations for upgrading CEPA with a view to further strengthening the foundations for economic cooperation between our two countries.”