Relationship between the India and Korea goes beyond the modern constructs of international relations and is part of a legacy of many centuries that transcends present boundaries.
Malananta, an Indian Buddhist monk brought Buddhism to Baekje in the southern Korean peninsula during the late 4th century. In 526 CE, Korea monk Gyeomik, went to India to learn Sanskrit and study the monastic discipline Vinaya and founded the Gyeyul branch of Buddhism
India played an important and positive role in Korean affairs after Korea’s independence in 1945. Lt. General K.S. Thimayya, then Chief of Army Staff of India, served as the chairman of the Neutral Nations Repatriation Commission [NNRC], after the armistice and contributed to resolving the humanitarian issues arising out of the War.
Since 2014, ever since Narendra Modi became the PM, the relationship between India and Korea was elevated to a higher level as part of his Look East Policy (LEP).
Major Korean conglomerates such as Samsung, Hyundai Motors, and LG have made significant investments into India, estimated at over $4.43 billion (as of March 2017). From the Indian side, investments in ROK is nearing USD 3 billion.
To defend the region from expansionist forces, India and South Korea, along with other democratic powers in the region, should think of expanding cooperation for alternate economic order and fighting global issues and challenges together.