Even though India and Korea are geographically distant from each other they have strong long historical relations. Both trace their relations to more than 3,000 year of existence in the past. In the recent past during their freedom struggle against colonial rule, leaders from both countries took inspiration from each other’s freedom movement. After independence even though relations between India and Korea were overshadowed by cold war rivalries as both found themselves placed in opposite camps, they were quickly able to reestablish their relationship once the cold war was over.

Currently both countries give a very high priority to relations between each other. Both countries are aiming to establish a “Long-term Cooperative Partnership for Peace and Prosperity.” South Korean business have made unprecedented penetration into the Indian market in the recent past. Apart from software related business Korean firms are very deeply engaged in transportation, electronics, metallurgical industries, chemical and industrial machinery and infrastructure building. The recent $12 billion investment by Korean steel company POSCO has taken bilateral economic relations between two countries to very high level. Indian businesses are also becoming more confident in Korea. Both countries are also calling for greater cooperation in the field of science and technology to harness the potential for strengthening the relationship in this area. While Korean maintains a hegemony in the field of computer hardware vis-à-vis India exhibits superior great software capabilities are making the two countries see great joint potential. It is argued that if the two countries combine their advanced technologies, it will become a win- win model for both. Shared energy security concerns are also bringing both countries together. Both India and Korea are major consumers of petroleum and natural gas in the world. The better coordination between these two biggest energy consumers of the world can help ensure competitive prices and assure supplies and tap new energy sources.

However close economic cooperation between India and Korea presumes that there is peace and stability in the region. Most of the business and trade between two countries is conducted through troubled sea-lanes of the Indian Ocean. For the future of Indo–Korea relation security and free access to international sea-lanes is becoming increasingly crucial for the two countries. The sea-lanes of communications are the maritime highways for vast trade flows, critical to the rapidly growing prosperity of not only India and Korea but of the entire Asia-Pacific region.

The Indian Navy’s effectiveness in countering pirates on these strategic high seas, thereby keeping the arteries of Oceanic trade fully functional for the smooth two-way flow of heavy commercial traffic, has inspired confidence among these countries of the region. Understanding the critical importance of sea-lanes and the role the Indian navy can play in protecting these sea-lanes, many regional countries such as Thailand, Vietnam and Japan have begun naval cooperation with India. Korea is yet to follow the suit. Indo-Korean navy-to-navy cooperation can play a major role in promoting the peace and security in the Indian Ocean.

In this regard, some areas where both countries can cooperate with each other are listed below. First, in military terms, the Indian Navy is one of the largest maritime forces in the region. India has played a crucial role in increasing maritime bonding by initiating numerous confidence building measures in the region. It conducts regular naval exercises with Indian Ocean region (IOR) and Southeast Asian navies. So far Korea has not conducted any large- scale naval exercises with India in the Indian Ocean. Korea navy should consider conducting “Out of Area” exercises with the Indian navy in the Indian Ocean.

Secondly, the Indian Navy has made flag-showing visits to important ports in the Indian Ocean region, an annual feature. Naval training establishments in India under the Southern Naval Command at Kochi regularly accept naval personnel from Southeast Asian and IOR countries for training. Korean navy should begin flag showing visits to Indian ports to build stronger and more influential relationships with the Indian Navy.

Thirdly, the establishment of joint maritime centers (JMCs) at important ports and near ocean choke points would prove to be a milestone for maritime cooperation for both countries.

Fourthly anti-piracy programs, personnel exchanges, training and joint maritime search-and-rescue exercises could be important areas of cooperation between two countries.

Fifthly Korean navies can also participate with the Indian Navy in surveillance operations in the Indian Oceans to check illegal activities in the region.

Sixthly India and Korean navies can also conduct bilateral exercises involving search-and-rescue drills, exchanges of information, anti-submarine warfare, advanced mine countermeasures and anti-terror tactics. Bilateral goodwill visits between two countries can strengthen the relations between two countries. It can also lead to new areas of extensive cooperation such as training of personnel, hydrography, sharing of naval intelligence as part of a comprehensive anti-terrorism agreement. Unfortunately no such institutionalized set-up exists between two countries so far.

Seventhly there is vast potential of Indo-Korean cooperation in the modernization of their conventional naval forces with state-of-the-art technologies. Both countries have to cope with the objectives of the industrially advanced Western countries in general, and the US in particular, of maintaining long-term exclusive control over sophisticated technologies. It is against this background that there are very good prospects for Indo-Korean collaboration in developing their respective indigenous defense industries. India, which has a vast pool of scientists and engineers, a thriving high-tech industry, and an advanced and promising modernization program, can play an important role in the South Korean modernization of its conventional naval forces.

Along with cooperation on the modernization of conventional naval forces, there is great potential for both countries to cooperate in the naval aerospace industry which can be used in remote sensing resources in the Indian Ocean and keeping a closer eye in the movement of ships and other activities in the region. After decades of hard work, India has emerged a world leader in the aerospace industry. Today, India has the largest remote sensing program of any country in the world. With the launch of the Korean satellite KITSAT-3 in May 1999, by India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-C2 (PSLV-C2), India and Korea have already established a cooperative relationship in this area. which can be further explored.

Both Indian and Korean Navies have a lot to gain from interaction with each other. Joint operations by Indian and Korean Navy, could lead to better sea-lanes of communications patrols to help ensure the free flow of traffic through Sea-lanes of communications and choke points. Even though some regional countries (Malaysia and Indonesia) are vehemently opposed to any outside effort to provide sea-lanes of communication protection in the Malacca straits there are many other areas where Indian and Korean navy can work together in this troubled part of Indian Ocean.

Sum Up

Recognizing the critical importance of Indian Ocean for its economy and security, the Indian government has been trying to reach out to many East Asian countries to help it keep the Indian Ocean free from the dominance of any one country. In this regard Korea, whose economy critically depends on free ship movement in the Indian Ocean has naturally emerged as an ally of India. Both countries share the view that no one country should be allowed to dominate and control the critical sea-lanes of communication in the Indian Ocean. Both countries also agree that the growing threats to sea-lanes of communication from transnational threats cannot be tackled at national level. A regional approach is needed to keep the Indian Ocean safe and secure for free flow of trade and oil for the East Asian economies. This common concern for the smooth flow of navel transportation should bring India and Korea closer together for closer cooperation in the Indian Ocean in the near future.

The objective of Indo-Korean naval cooperation is not to form military alliances or contain any one country. Naval cooperation between Korea and India would ensure that no country is able to dominate the critical sea-lanes of communication in the Indian Ocean and that high seas remain open to all countries. It will exercise caution and restraint on other countries before they embark on any misadventure or political coercion. It will also help to fight transnational threats that are causing serious concern to security of the sea-lanes.

The proposed naval cooperation between India and Korea should also be able to contribute to the construction of new balance of power in the region. With Korea as it a close ally, dynamic growth in economy and military, and association with an increasingly prosperous Asia-Pacific region, India should be able to play a bigger role in the regional security paradigm in the East Asian region. Similarly Korea with closer relations with India should be able to establish a strong foothold in a region that is becoming crucial for Korea’s growth and prosperity. Thus taking into account India’s and Korea’s security and economic and strategic needs, serious attempts must be made to establish a mutually beneficial and more purposeful relationship with each other and play more assertive roles in promoting peace, prosperity and security in Asia.