SEOUL, April 16 (Reuters) – South Korean President Lee Jae Myung will make state visits to India and Vietnam between April 19 and 24, a presidential adviser said on Thursday.
Lee will start his trip in New Delhi at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, presidential adviser Wi Sung-lac told a briefing, according to the Blue House’s website.
The trip to India will be the first by a South Korean president in eight years, Wi said.
The leaders are due to hold a summit on April 20, with talks expected to cover cooperation in areas such as shipbuilding, artificial intelligence and defence.
Lee will attend a roundtable in India accompanied by business leaders from the two countries, the Blue House said.
South Korea is seeking to maintain close cooperation with India on energy supply chains amid turbulent global circumstances, Wi said, without elaborating. Lee is also seeking to resolve difficulties regarding immigration and residence procedures for South Koreans in India, he said.
India is a major market for South Korea’s biggest conglomerates, such as Hyundai Motor, which is seeking an annual production capacity of 1.5 million cars and listed a unit on India’s stock market in 2024.
Lee will then travel to Hanoi on April 21 and hold a summit with Vietnam’s top leader To Lam the following day.
The leaders are due to discuss developing relations in areas including energy, global supply chains and critical minerals, Wi said.
The trip to Vietnam comes after Lam’s visit to Seoul in August 2025. At the time, Lam said the countries agreed to expand bilateral trade to $150 billion by 2030 and that Hanoi welcomed an increase in investment by South Korean businesses.
The leader will also seek to expand cultural ties, such as supporting an increase in Korean tourism to Vietnam, Wi said.
($1 = 1,473.0000 won)
(Reporting by Heejin KimEditing by Ed Davies)
