India and South Korea to jointly manufacture defence equipment -

New Delhi: The Defence Ministers of India and his South Korean counterpart agreed to start manufacturing and export defence equipment. Sources informed that South Korean Defence Minister Suh Wook also expressed keenness in participating in India’s two upcoming defence corridors. At the same time, it is also being said that both countries have made preparations to increase cooperation in the cyber and space sectors and intelligence sharing.

South Korean Defence Minister Suh Wook recently completed his three-day visit to India. During the visit, he met important officials from the defence forces, defence companies and representatives from the industry, and Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. In 2015, India and South Korea had signed a special strategic cooperation agreement. After that, talks are held between India and South Korea for joint manufacturing projects for defence equipment.

Both the countries concurred on the issue during the Friday meeting. Accordingly, India and South Korea will be jointly manufacturing defence equipment. Sources clarified that the export of these equipment would also be handled jointly. The South Korean Defence Minister expressed special interest in the two defence corridors being developed in India. The Indian government is developing defence corridors in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu’s states, and the main objective behind the initiative is to promote indigenous manufacture of weapons and defence equipment.

South Korea is known to be a country in possession of advanced defence technologies. Therefore, the expression of interest in the Indian Defence corridors by South Korea is an important development of the Indian defence industry. In the past, South Korea had supplied the technology for K-9 Vajra Howitzers. Indian company Larson and Toubro manufactured 100 ‘K-9 Vajra’ Howitzers using that technology. After that, India has expressed interest in leasing the South Korean Mine Sweeper ship. It was also reported a few months ago that a South Korean company from the defence manufacturing sector is keen on supplying anti-aircraft missiles to India.

The increasing defence cooperation between India and South Korea is said to have the background of the Chinese activities. Chinese activities near the Indian border are increasing. To stop these activities, India needs advanced technology and large supplies of defence equipment. In this scenario, increasing cooperation with a country like South Korea, a leader in the defence technology sector, can play a decisive role.