South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is coming to India to attend G20 Summit with a delegation of eleven companies that is keen to engage with the Indian defence industry to explore joint ventures, technology transfer, and bilateral trade in an array of segments spread across artillery, radar and satellite communication, military power systems and aerial and naval platform sub-system supplies.

President Yoon, who will be on his maiden visit to India, will also hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Korean delegation’s visit preceded Deputy National Security Advisor Vikram Misri’s Seoul tour last month for 4th India-RoK Dy NSA level Strategic Dialogue and to increase defence industry cooperation.

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The Indian defence industry’s apex body Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM) has arranged a meeting with visiting Korean companies on September 7 to push for definite outcomes. The SIDM has created multiple platforms for engagement with the South Korean defence industry and holds an MoU with the Korean Defence Industry Association and the Changwon Industry Promotion Agency.

Industry sources privy to bilateral engagements told businessline that the South Korean delegation is “interested to find Indian partners for joint-ventures, technology transfer and trade,” with some of the companies “keen to sign MoUs with participating Indian companies at the interaction”.

The companies that would be here for B2B engagement are: ‘Shin Kum Ha Co. Ltd’ which deals in high precision machining, and automotive composite parts. Similarly, ‘Hansung S&I’ is into the military power system, and helicopter sub-parts, ‘KIPCO’ main’s products are radars, satellite communication and electro-optics, ‘Mirae Air’ makes wing rib and frame assemble for air platforms, ‘SG Solution’ is the maker of K9 self-propelled artillery and ‘NDT Engineering’ is into aviation wing machining. The Indian industries are in discussions over utility helicopters, diesel submarines, ammunitions lithium batteries.

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A roadmap for defence industries cooperation was signed between the two countries in September 2019. The two nations believe that both of them can enhance cooperation in critical and emerging technologies.

During the last defence bilateral talks between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his South Korean counterpart Suh Wook, held in Delhi towards late March, the two sides agreed to go for joint production and export of military hardware, and push cooperation in cyber and space domains for expanding defence and security ties.

India and South Korea are already co-developing defence systems. Like, Larsen and Toubro is producing K9 Vajra, a 155mm, 52 Calibre artillery gun, with the help of Korea’s Hanwa Defence.

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