New Delhi, March 20 (NationPress) External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar engaged in discussions with South Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo in New Delhi on Friday, focusing on enhancing their special strategic partnership.

In a post shared on X, EAM Jaishankar expressed his satisfaction in meeting with Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo from the Republic of Korea (ROK), stating, "I was briefed on his talks regarding new initiatives and proposals aimed at progressing our Special Strategic Partnership."

Park Yoon-joo also held a meeting with the Secretary (East) of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), P. Kumaran, to evaluate the bilateral relations. The two officials addressed various topics, including trade and economy, shipbuilding, maritime expansion, Artificial Intelligence (AI), critical minerals, semiconductors, sustainability, and people-to-people (P2P) connections.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal tweeted, "India-ROK Consultations: Paving a stronger future! Secretary (East) P. Kumaran held discussions with Mr. Park Yoon-joo, First Vice Foreign Minister of South Korea today."

"They reviewed the comprehensive bilateral relationship and touched on various matters such as trade and economy, shipbuilding, maritime growth, AI, critical minerals, semiconductors, sustainability, and P2P ties," he added.

India and South Korea initiated diplomatic relations in 1973, establishing a "Strategic Partnership" in 2010, which was later elevated to a "Special Strategic Partnership" during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's state visit to South Korea in 2015. The two countries celebrated 50 years of diplomatic relations in 2023.

On March 10, EAM Jaishankar had a telephonic conversation with his South Korean counterpart Cho Hyun, where they discussed bilateral relations and the current scenario in West Asia.

During the call, Cho Hyun emphasized that the two summits conducted last year, marking the decade of the Korea-India Special Strategic Partnership, had solidified a unique bond between the leaders. He advocated for this year's summit exchanges to uplift bilateral relations and yield tangible benefits for citizens, as stated by South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

EAM Jaishankar concurred with Cho's observations and expressed India's eagerness to further cultivate bilateral ties through active high-level exchanges this year, particularly in enhancing strategic economic collaboration between the two nations.

"The two ministers also shared their perspectives on the situation on the Korean Peninsula and within the region, particularly discussing developments in the Middle East, which significantly affect global security and the economy. They agreed to maintain close communication regarding national security measures in response to regional developments," reported a statement from South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Following their discussions, EAM Jaishankar tweeted, "A productive dialogue with FM Cho Hyun from ROK. We talked about advancing our bilateral agenda and the situation in West Asia, including its energy implications."