Recent Current Affairs related to South Korea

Union Minister Rajnath Singh held bilateral talks with South Korean Ministers Ahn Gyu-back and Lee Yong-cheol in Seoul. He also chaired the India-ROK Defence Industry Business Roundtable in Seoul to foster bilateral defence cooperation.

During the visit, India and the ROK exchanged an MoU to enhance cooperation in defence cyber security and defence information sharing. Additionally, two agreements were signed between Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and Hanwa Co Ltd to facilitate collaboration between the defence industries of both nations.

The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) has signed a tripartite MoU with HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering Co Ltd (HD KSOE), National Shipbuilding & Heavy Industries Park Tamil Nadu Ltd (NSHIP-TN), and Sagarmala Finance Corporation Ltd (SMFCL) to develop the first Mega Greenfield Shipyard in India at Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu.

The project will have an annual shipbuilding capacity of 2.5 million Gross Tonnage (MGT). The agreement was exchanged during the state visit of the President of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Lee Jae Myung. It is part of the India-ROK Comprehensive Framework ‘VOYAGES’ (Shared Vision for Operation of Yard Assisted Growth with Efficiency and Scale).

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has launched the Critical Minerals-to-Manufacturing (CMM) Financing Partnership Facility during the 59th Annual Meeting (AM) of the Board of Governors in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

The facility includes a Grant Window (CMM Trust Fund) for early stage project preparation, supported by initial contributions of $20 million from Japan and $1.6 million from the UK. Additionally, a Catalytic Finance Window has been established for co-financing, with Korea Eximbank and the Korea Trade Insurance Corporation (K-SURE) signing initial memoranda worth $500 million as partners.

China has won its 13th Thomas Cup title by defeating France 3-1 at the 34th edition of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Thomas & Uber Cup Finals 2026, held in Horsens, Denmark.

South Korea has won the 31st edition of the Uber Cup title (its 3rd overall) by defeating China 3-1. It is to be noted that the Thomas Cup is the men’s world team championship and the Uber Cup is the women’s world team championship.

SpaceX has launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, USA.

The mission deployed the CAS500-2 Earth observation satellite of the Republic of Korea and 45 secondary rideshare payloads into a Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO). It is to be noted that the operation was conducted as a multi-customer rideshare mission to facilitate the orbital placement of various technological instruments.

Lee Jae Myung, the President of the Republic of Korea, accompanied by First Lady Kim Hea Kyung, has visited India at the invitation of PM Narendra Modi. During a bilateral summit at Hyderabad House in New Delhi, both nations announced a “Joint Strategic Vision” to expand the India-ROK Special Strategic Partnership (SSP) for the 2026-2030 period.

The visit resulted in the establishment of an Industrial Cooperation Committee (ICC) and the formulation of a framework for the “India–Korea Digital Bridge” to facilitate collaboration in AI, semiconductors, and Information Technology. Both countries also agreed to resume negotiations for upgrading the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).

India has officially withdrawn its candidacy to host the 33rd Conference of the Parties (COP33) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2028. The decision has been formally communicated to the Asia-Pacific group and the UNFCCC.

This represents a reversal of the proposal made by PM Narendra Modi during COP28 in Dubai in 2023. Following the withdrawal of India, South Korea remains the only contender from the Asia-Pacific region currently in the race to host the 2028 climate summit.