Embassy of India

INDIA - REPUBLIC OF KOREA DEFENCE RELATIONS

General

1. India and ROK share the same Independence Day of 15th Aug and gained independence within two years of each other (i.e. 1947 and 1945 respectively). In 1948, first ever general elections were held in Korea under the auspices of the UN. The UN appointed India as the Chairman of the nine-member United Nations Temporary Commission on Korea (UNTCOK) to organize and oversee the elections. Mr KPS Menon was the Chairman of this Commission and played an important role in the conduct of peaceful and highly representative elections in May 1948 which led to the formation of the first democratically elected Government of independent ROK.

India’s Contribution during the Korean War and in the Armistice

2. India made significant contribution during the Korean War (1950-53) and period (1953-54) following the Armistice (1953) in the Korean peninsula. It deployed an Army Medical Unit; the 60th Parachute Field Ambulance commanded by Lieutenant Colonel AG Rangaraj, Mahavir Chakra. The unit disembarked at Busan on 20 Nov 1950 and was initially deployed at Pyongyang on 29 Nov 1950. It was then divided into two sub-units, the ‘Forward Elements’ grouped with 27 British Brigade and the “Administrative Elements” relocated at Daegu to assist the Korean Army Hospital and also treating civilians. The unit was placed under command 28 British Brigade on 01 Jul 1951, as part of Commonwealth Division. It participated in a series of operations including “OP TOMAHAWK” with the 8th US Army from 23 to 31 Mar 1953 in the area of Munsan and “OP COMMANDO” until 23 Aug 1953. The unit contributed a total of 627 ranks and treated over 222,324 patients including civilians during the course of its deployment and earned numerous awards and appreciation.

3. The Korean War (1950-53) ended with an armistice agreement in Jul 1953. It was the Indian proposal at UNGA for termination of Korean War that was finally adopted, and resulted in formulation of the “Armistice Agreement”. Five nations were invited to form the Neutral Nations Repatriation Commission (NNRC) namely Czechoslovakia, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland and India, and collectively nominated India to lead the NNRC. Lieutenant General K.S. Thimmaya was appointed as the Chairman of NNRC and its role was to supervise exchange of Prisoners of War. India dispatched one Brigade Group, designated as Custodian Forces-India (CFI) comprising 5230 all Ranks to Korea, under Major General SSP Thorat. The CFI took charge of over 25,000 Prisoners of War and assisted in repatriation to their countries. The discipline, neutrality, fair play and firmness displayed by the Indian troops were highly admired by one and all. During the entire course of its tenure, the Indian Army lost five soldiers and 23 other were injured while supporting combat operations. The Indian Army troops returned to India in March 1954.

Recent Years

4. India - ROK defence relations have strengthened in recent years. Various bilateral mechanisms have been instituted to take forward engagements in armed services, defence policy and defence industry domains. Service level talks across the three arms of the military are held biennially.
5. Under recent high level exchanges, the visit of Hon’ble RM to RoK was held from 19-21 May 2026. Apart from bilateral meetings, important MoUs were co-signed by both sides.  A Defence Industry Round Table was organised in Seoul on 20 May 26,  co-chaired by the Hon’ble RM and Minister DAPA. Commemoration Ceremony of first Indian War Memorial was conducted on 21 May 26 at Imjingak Peace Park, Paju, in august presence of Hon’ble RM and Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs. A ‘War Memoir’ in Korean and English language was also released by the two Ministers. The Indian War Memorial showcases the contributions of India during the Korean War.
6. Army Staff Talks were held in September 2024 in India. ROK Army Chief Park Jeong-hwan visited New Delhi in September 2023 to attend the Indo-Pacific Army Chiefs’ Conference. General Manoj Pande, Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) visited ROK in November 2023 and held meetings with Chief of Staff, ROK Army and Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff of ROK Armed Forces.
7. Air Force Staff Talks were held in November 2024 in ROK. Chief of Staff, ROK Air Force, General Lee Youngsu, undertook an official visit to India on 17-21 March 2024 and met Chief of Indian Air Force and the Defence Secretary and discussed new areas of cooperation in field of aerospace, AI and cyber technologies.
8. Navy Staff Talks were held in April 2023 in India. Navy and Coast Guard ships have been visiting each other’s ports on a regular basis and have also been holding joint exercises. Inaugural India and ROK bilateral naval exercise was successfully conducted from 13-16 Oct 2025 in ROK. INS SAHYADRI  from Indian Navy and  ROKS NOJEOKBONG from ROK Navy undertook the exercise. ROK Navy ship Gang Gam-chan (destroyer)  participated in International Fleet Review (IFR-2026) and Exercise MILAN-2026 from 17-26 Feb 26 at Vizag, India. ROK Navy delegation headed by Commander of ROK Navy Logistic Command participated in IFR-26 and & 9^th Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) Chiefs Conclave from 17-21 Feb 26. ROK ship Dae Jo Yeong (destroyer) made three port calls at Mumbai and Goa in March and April 2026 to seek logistic support.
9. Chief of Korea Coast Guard, Commissioner General Kim Yong Jin visited India from 20-24 July 2025 and met Director General Indian Coast Guard. The two sides signed a MOU on ‘Cooperation in Maritime Search & Rescue’ on the sidelines of the bilateral meeting. A delegation from Korea Coast Guard participated in 10^th NATPOLREX Exercise conducted by Indian Coast Guard in October 2025, while ICG delegation participated in Capacity Building Training in ROK in June 2025.  ICG Ship SUJAY visited ROK in September 2024.
10. A delegation from National Defence College visited ROK in June 2026 on a study tour while delegation from College of Defence Management visited ROK in October 2024 and from Army War College in November 2025 in ROK. Delegation from Korea National Defence University visited India in 2023 and 2025.

Defence Industry Cooperation

11. Contract for second batch of 100 K9 Vajra guns was signed on 04 Apr 2025 between Hanwha Aerospace and L&T, India. A Roadmap for Defence Industries Cooperation was signed between the two countries in September 2020. For the consecutive 2^nd Year, India Pavilion was established at Korea Defence Expo, KADEX-2024, to represent India’s defence manufacturing capabilities among the foreign defence players. Important MOUs on defence industry joint ventures were signed between Indian & ROK defence companies during Aero-India on 10-11 February 2025 at Bengaluru and another MOU on joint venture was signed on 05 Dec 2025 in India while the third was signed on 20 May 26 during India-ROK Defence Industry Round Table.

Conclusion

12. India and Korea are expanding their cooperation in the defence and security sectors. On comprehensive review of the defence relations, both countries have undertaken multiple agreements which is a clear manifestation of deepening strategic partnership between India and ROK.

July 2026