Ahead of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj visit, South Korea today said it was time to think "big" and take "bold" initiatives to boost bilateral ties and listed manufacturing, infrastructure and tourism as key sectors for Korean investment in India.
Hailing NDA government's initiative to revitalise economic growth, South Korean Ambassador Joongyu Lee said his country was keen also keen to participate in new government's 'Make-in-India' and 'Smart Cities' initiatives.
"A strong political leadership under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is now in the helm of affairs. He has been redefining the contours of India's bilateral trade and investment," the Ambassador said.
Pointing out that India- South Korea trade, which stood at 17 billion US dollars last year, has great potential, the Ambassador said "the time is quite opportune to think big and take "bold" initiatives.
According to some estimates, the trade potential is 100 billion US dollars, the Ambassador said.
Swaraj will travel to Seoul later this month to hold Joint Commission meeting with her South Korean counterpart during which the two sides will discuss key bilateral issues, including trade and civil nuclear cooperation.
The envoy said India was set to emerge as an attractive investment destination and South Korea was interested in strengthening the trade ties between the two countries.
Talking about issues relating to security, he said it was time to articulate the shared concerns and calibrate the strategy on security challenges facing the Asia-Pacific region.
