President Lee’s Visit: Revitalizing India-South Korea Relations

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung will make state visits to India and Vietnam from April 19 to 24, 2026, marking the first visit by a South Korean president to India in eight years.

The six-day, five-night itinerary includes a three-day visit to India from April 19 to 21, followed by a trip to Vietnam from April 22 to 24. The visit aims to deepen strategic cooperation in key sectors such as trade, defense, shipbuilding, maritime industries, finance, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, and critical technologies.

President Lee will hold wide-ranging talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, April 20, following an official welcome ceremony. The discussions are expected to result in the signing of multiple memorandums of understanding to strengthen bilateral cooperation across shipbuilding, trade, investments, AI, semiconductors, and people-to-people connections.

The South Korean president will be accompanied by First Lady Kim Hea Kyung and a high-level delegation comprising ministers, senior officials, and business leaders. He also plans to attend the Korea-India Business Forum to explore mutually beneficial cooperation strategies with key figures from both countries’ business communities.

National Security Advisor Wi Sung-lac announced the itinerary during a briefing at the Blue House Press Center on April 16, 2026. He emphasized that the visit will open a new chapter in economic cooperation in strategic sectors and maintain close coordination on energy supply chains amid shifting global dynamics stemming from the war in the Middle East.

The Ministry of External Affairs confirmed that President Lee’s visit to New Delhi is the earliest state visit by a South Korean president since the current administration took office and is intended to broaden South Korea’s diplomatic horizons through engagement with two rapidly growing nations.