India–South Korea Relations Under ‘Special Strategic Partnership’: ‘Act East Policy’ Meets ‘New Southern Policy’

Abstract

Of late India–South Korea relations have witnessed an upswing with the elevation of bilateral relation to Special Strategic Partnership (SSP) in 2015. Explaining the context and developments in bilateral relations, the article observes that the new momentum articulated in SSP constitutes a convergence of interests through the meeting of India’s ‘Act East Policy’ and South Korea’s ‘New Southern Policy’. The growing cooperation in defence, security, development, industry and a shared vision for regional order has visibly enhanced the scope and depth of the strategic partnership between the two countries, however, not without challenges in the emerging Indo-Pacific regional context.