From 8 to 11 March 2018, the Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea Chung Sye-kyun called on India to support South Korea’s efforts for rapprochement with Pyongyang during his talks with Indian President Ram Nath Kovind in New Delhi, India.
This gesture comes at a time when US President Donald Trump agreed to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, setting the scene for an unprecedented encounter between two heads of state who had recently threatened to wipe each other out.
During the talks, Speaker Chung, who is on a nine-day overseas trip which will take him to Kazakhstan next, also requested for India’s strong backing of Korean businesses currently operating within one of the largest economies in world today.
The South Korean parliamentary delegation also met with Vice President Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu at the Parliament House during their stay in India.
VP Naidu mentioned that Korea and India have witnessed enhanced exchanges between the parliamentary institutions of the two countries, and that this visit by the Korean delegation would add further momentum of political cooperation to the dynamics.
Korean National Assembly Speaker Chung Se-kyun (left) and Indian President Ram Nath Kovind (Photo: Facebook)
“We deeply appreciate India’s support for (our government’s efforts in addressing) inter-Korean issues and I hope that your administration will continue to back us,” Chung said.
In return, President Kovind offered his congratulations on South Korea’s recent success at hosting the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in February this year.
VP Naidu also replied to Speaker Chung’s message and the effort of Korean President Moon Jae-in to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue, “India supports peace and stability on the Korean peninsula through dialogue and diplomacy,” expressing his hopes that this new gesture of engagement would create the necessary opportunities for inter-Korean talks.
During the parliamentary delegation’s visit, Seoul and Pyongyang made a historic agreement to hold a summit between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as well, not to mention the installation of a new hotline between the two leaders.
Pyongyang has also demonstrated the willingness to engage the United States about its denuclearization and pledged not to use any strategic or conventional military weapons against the Republic of Korea.
The South Korean parliamentary delegation headed by Speaker Chung and Indian President Kovind pose for a photo-shoot (Photo: Facebook)
Referring to the bilateral negotiations to promote free trade deals, Speaker Chung stated that if the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) were to be upgraded, it would add “enormously” to the economic progress of both nation-states.
The Korea-India CEPA took effect as of January 2010, but only in 2016 did the two countries begin official trade negotiations to enhance the economic agreement.
President Kovind also expressed his hopes for increased cooperation with respect to the economic negotiations, according to Speaker Chung’s office.
Speaker Chung, and his delegation of six legislators from the ruling Democratic Party and the main opposition Liberty Korea Party, are scheduled to meet with Kazakhstan’s political leadership in the coming days including Presdient Nursultan Nazarbayev and parliamentary chief Nurlan Zairullayevich Nigmatulin.
By MSEAP Cyber Secretariat (mseap@assembly.go.kr) |
