India's Act East Policy has traditionally emphasised ASEAN. Examine the strategic significance of India–South Korea defence cooperation in the broader Indo-Pacific security framework.

India's Act East Policy has been institutionally ASEAN-centric, yet its Indo-Pacific logic extends to Northeast Asia. The elevation of India–Republic of Korea (ROK) ties to a Special Strategic Partnership in 2015 [1][2], and the Joint Strategic Vision (2026–2030) adopted during President Lee Jae Myung's State Visit [3], mark Seoul as a significant — though still under-utilised — defence node in this framework.

Strategic and maritime convergence

• Both sides articulate a free, open, rules-based Indo-Pacific; ROK's accession to the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) embeds it in an India-led maritime architecture [3].
• The inaugural bilateral naval exercise (October 2025, INS Sahyadri with ROKS Nojeokbong) signals movement from declaratory to operational cooperation [1].
• As a US treaty ally, ROK links India's Act East reach to Northeast Asian security, extending Act East beyond its ASEAN core.

Defence-industrial and technological significance

• The K9 Vajra-T (155mm/52-calibre) programme is the flagship outcome: MoD's ₹7,628.70-crore follow-on contract with L&T (December 2024) for 100 guns under Buy (Indian) [4].
• Fresh L&T–Hanwha agreements (May 2026) deepen industry-to-industry technology partnership [5], supporting Atmanirbhar Bharat and supply-chain diversification away from single-source dependence.

Widening functional domains

• 2026 MoUs on defence cyber cooperation, NDC–KNDU training exchange, and UN peacekeeping broaden ties beyond hardware into doctrine, personnel and non-traditional security [5].

Constraints

• Cooperation remains transactional and platform-led; joint R&D, emerging-technology co-development and start-up linkages lag behind frameworks India runs with the US and Japan, and procurement timelines slow agile collaboration.

India–ROK defence ties thus give Act East a Northeast Asian dimension, converting a trade-heavy relationship into a security one. Institutionalising joint R&D and defence-innovation exchange, alongside sustained naval interoperability, would let the Joint Strategic Vision mature into a genuine pillar of Indo-Pacific stability — consistent with India's declared vision of a free, open and inclusive regional order.