South Korean President Lee to make state visits to India and Vietnam
SEOUL, April 16 (Reuters) – South Korean President Lee Jae Myung will pay an official visit to India, the first by a South Korean leader in eight years, before heading to Vietnam, a presidential adviser said on Thursday.
According to the Blue House website, presidential advisor Wi Sung-lac said in a briefing that Lee will begin his tour in New Delhi from April 19 to 24 at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Leaders will hold a summit on April 20, and cooperation in areas such as shipbuilding, artificial intelligence and defense is expected to be discussed during the talks.
The Blue House said Lee will attend a roundtable meeting in India, where he will be accompanied by business leaders from both countries.
Business groups are gathering an economic delegation of about 200 executives for the trip, Yonha reported, citing unnamed industry sources.
The Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry will oversee the Vietnam leg, while the Korean Federation of Industry will coordinate the India leg, hosting business forums, meetings with government and business leaders, and the signing of memorandums of understanding.
Yonhap added that the Vietnamese delegation is expected to include the heads of South Korea’s four largest conglomerates, including Samsung Electronics Chairman Jay Y. Lee, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, Hyundai Motor Group Chief Executive Euisun Chung and LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo.
The Indian delegation is also expected to include leaders from Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Motor Group and LG Group.
The Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Korean Industry Federation declined to comment.
Wi said South Korea is trying to maintain close cooperation with India on energy supply chains amid turbulent global conditions, but did not provide details. Lee also said that South Koreans are also trying to resolve difficulties related to immigration and residence procedures in India.
India is a key market for South Korea’s biggest conglomerates, such as Hyundai Motor, which is seeking an annual production capacity of 1.5 million cars and is listing a unit on the Indian stock exchange in 2024.
Companies such as Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics operate manufacturing plants in India, and LG listed its Indian unit on the local stock exchange last year.
Lee will travel to Hanoi on April 21 and hold a summit with Vietnam’s top leader, To Lam, the next day.
Leaders will discuss improving relations in areas such as energy, global supply chains and critical minerals, and Lee will also seek to expand cultural ties, Wi said.
Lam visited Seoul in August 2025, saying the countries agreed to increase bilateral trade to $150 billion by 2030, and Hanoi welcomed the increase in investments by South Korean businesses.
($1 = 1,473.0000 won)
(Reporting by Heejin Kim and Hyunjoo Jin; Additional reporting by Heekyong Yang; Editing by Ed Davies and Kate Mayberry)
