Why In News?

The ongoing conflict in West Asia has exposed Asia’s heavy dependence on Gulf energy supplies. This has heightened vulnerabilities for major Asian economies, including India and South Korea, which together import a significant portion of their crude oil from the region.

Background: India-South Korea Relations

India and South Korea established diplomatic relations in 1973. In 2015, it was upgraded to a ‘Special Strategic Partnership.'

Bilateral trade has grown in recent years, reaching around USD 25 billion, with Korean investments in India focusing on automobiles, electronics, steel, and manufacturing. Major Korean companies such as Samsung, Hyundai, LG, and POSCO hav a strong presence in India.

The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) signed in 2010 has been a key driver, though both sides are negotiating upgrades to cover new areas like semiconductors, shipbuilding, and clean energy. 

Defense cooperation has also progressed, notably through the supply and joint production of the K9 Vajra howitzers. However, the relationship has largely remained commerce-driven, lacking robust political and security architecture. 

The Widening Gulf: Asia’s Energy Vulnerability

Asia’s economic rise has long been celebrated, but the current West Asian crisis has revealed a critical structural weakness: heavy reliance on Gulf energy. Nearly 70% of Asia’s crude oil imports pass through the Strait of Hormuz, which handles one-fifth of globally traded oil. Countries like China, India, Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asian nations are particularly exposed.

Iran’s actions in the region have raised concerns over freedom of navigation and energy security. Asian states broadly support principles enshrined in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), emphasising unimpeded transit passage as a right, not a privilege granted by coastal states.

While the United States has historically provided naval primacy in securing these sea lanes, a more transactional American approach has prompted Asian capitals to seek greater self-reliance and intra-Asian cooperation. This crisis has sharpened the sense of vulnerability and created space for new coalitions focused on maritime security and diversified energy routes.

Impact on India and South Korea

Both India and South Korea face shared challenges from disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.

• Energy Security: Uninterrupted oil flows are vital for their economies. Any prolonged disruption could spike global oil prices, affecting inflation, industrial output, and growth.
• Maritime Trade: Threats to the Hormuz Strait impact not just energy but broader commercial shipping, given Asia’s dependence on these routes for trade between the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
• Geopolitical Risks: Over-reliance on external powers (primarily the US) for securing sea lines of communication (SLOCs) carries uncertainties amid shifting US priorities.
• Economic Interdependence: The crisis underscores the need to reduce vulnerabilities through diversified supplies, alternative routes (such as Gulf infrastructure projects), and enhanced naval capabilities.

For India, the Indian Ocean position offers strategic leverage, while South Korea brings advanced naval technology, shipbuilding expertise, and leadership in nuclear energy (including small modular reactors). The synergy remains underdeveloped despite natural complementarities.

Opportunities for Deeper Engagement

The Gulf crisis presents a strategic opening to inject real political content into India-ROK ties. Key areas include:

• Maritime Security: Enhance coordination through information-sharing, logistics agreements, and complementary naval deployments to protect vital SLOCs. This functional cooperation need not be framed as an alliance but as practical burden-sharing.
• Energy and Infrastructure: Collaborate on diversified energy security, including participation in Gulf Arab states’ massive infrastructure projects (pipelines, ports, rail networks) aimed at reducing dependence on the Hormuz Strait.
• Defence and Industrial Cooperation: Leverage South Korea’s strengths in shipbuilding for India’s naval and commercial fleet expansion. Joint efforts in defence platforms, LNG carriers, and maritime infrastructure hold promise. Existing defence ties (e.g., K9 artillery) can be expanded.
• Emerging Technologies: Deepen collaboration in semiconductors, small modular reactors (SMRs), clean energy, AI, and green hydrogen—sectors already under discussion in recent high-level meetings.
• Broader Indo-Pacific Role: Position the Delhi-Seoul partnership as a pillar supporting greater Asian responsibility for Asian security, complementing existing architectures without replacing them.

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung’s visit and upcoming BRICS-related engagements in Delhi offer diplomatic momentum to advance these agendas.

Way Forward

To build a stronger bridge:

• Institutionalise regular high-level dialogues on maritime and energy security.
• Accelerate CEPA upgrades with a focus on strategic sectors like shipbuilding and semiconductors.
• Promote joint ventures in defence production and maritime infrastructure under frameworks like Make in India and Korea’s technological edge.
• Explore trilateral or plurilateral formats involving other like-minded Asian partners for Hormuz-related stability mechanisms that offer face-saving options while upholding UNCLOS principles.
• Encourage people-to-people and cultural exchanges to broaden the relationship beyond elite and commercial domains.

Conclusion

The West Asian crisis has exposed the fragility of Asia’s energy-dependent growth model and the limitations of outsourcing maritime security. For India and South Korea, it is an opportunity to transform a largely commercial partnership into a substantive strategic entente. By focusing on maritime security, energy resilience, and defence-industrial collaboration, Delhi and Seoul can contribute to a more stable Indo-Pacific while advancing their own economic and security interests.

Source: Indian Express