Ministry of External Affairs Government of India

Ms Riva Ganguly Das, Secretary(East), MEA and ROK First Vice Foreign Minister Mr. Choi Jong-kun held consultations on December 23, 2020 through digital video conference. The consultations covered issues related to bilateral cooperation and also international issues of mutual interest including high-level bilateral exchanges, defense and security cooperation, COVID-19 response, coordination in multilateral forums.

Both sides agreed to further strengthen the high level exchanges in 2021 and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, including the areas of defence and in particular on enhancing defence industry cooperation. They also exchanged views on cooperation in the context of COVID-19, including facilitating essential air travel between the two countries. Vice Minister Choi highlighted the steps being considered by ROK Government to further relax the travel restrictions for foreigners including Indian citizens traveling to Republic of Korea, restrictions on numbers per flight and categories of visas. The two sides also agreed to continue ongoing consultations for an air bubble arrangement.

Vice Minister Choi appreciated the leadership role played by India in tackling common global challenges such as Climate Change and Disaster Management through its initiatives such as International Solar Alliance (ISA) and Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) and indicated ROK's willingness to continue to work with India on these issues.