New India-South Korea Defense Partnership Facilitates the Displacement of Russian and Chinese Weapons from Global South Markets

From April 19 to 21, 2026, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung paid a state visit to New Delhi for talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

This marked the first visit by a South Korean leader to India since 2018, when President Moon Jae-in traveled to the country. Following the negotiations, the sides agreed to expand cooperation in economic, trade, investment, technological, and defense-industrial domains. 

They also agreed to extend the joint production model used for K9 Vajra howitzers to the development of air defense systems.

In addition, the leaders announced the launch of the KIND-X (Korea-India Defence Accelerator) initiative, modeled on the India-U.S. INDUS-X platform. This framework brings together defense companies, research institutions, and startups from both countries.