All-party delegation's visit will strengthen India's image, say South Korean experts; express support for Op Sindoor
The all-party delegation, led by JD(U) leader Sanjay Jha, met scholars and policy experts in Seoul to highlight India's fight against cross-border terrorism sponsored by Pakistan.
The delegation briefed Korean think tanks on the recent Pahalgam terrorist attack, India's response under Operation Sindoor and zero-tolerance policy against terrorism.
Experts praised India's measured and determined approach, condemned terrorism in all forms, and stressed the need for deeper cooperation between India and South Korea.
Wongi Choe, Professor of Indo-Pacific Studies and Head of the Centre for ASEAN-Indian Students, introduced himself in Hindi.
He said Pakistan has supported cross-border terrorism and most Korean people fully stand with India
'I went to India 20 years ago and I learned Hindi there and did my MA in political science, MPhil and PhD. We know that for a long time Pakistan has supported cross-border terrorism. Nobody supports terrorism. Most Korean people fully stand with India. This is the first time I am seeing an all-party delegation from India against terrorism. It is very good. This will help create a strong and new image of India,' Wongi Choe told ANI.
'We fully support India's action against terrorism. There is a lot of scope to strengthen relations between the two countries. We should create a multilateral alliance. For example, we can create KAII-Korea, Australia, Indonesia and India. In this alliance, there can be multilateral cooperation against terrorism and other issues,' he added.
Changhwan Kim, Professor of South Asian Studies at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, described the meeting with the Indian all-party delegation as a very important occasion that offered information about India's response to terrorism. He also welcomed South Korea's strong statement of support following the Pahalgam attack.
'Today's meeting with the all-party delegation from India was a very important occasion that provided us information about the response of the Indian government. The Indian government is very firm and determined to take on this new stance of zero tolerance against terrorism. India's response has been very accurate, and I think the Government of South Korea issued a very strong statement that supports India in its response to this attack. The Government of Korea will cooperate with India to get rid of all sorts of terrorism,' he added.
Youn Jung Choi, Vice President of the Sejong Institute, strongly condemned the Pahalgam terrorist attack and lauded all-party delegation's visit to South Korea.
'We should know what exactly happened during the tragic Pahalgam terrorist incident. This (all-party delegation visit) helped us a lot to increase our understanding of what has happened and what is going on right now, and what should be done afterwards. India and South Korea share very similar security concerns, that is, threats from their neighbouring countries. Regarding Operation Sindoor, the Indian government tried very hard to have a very limited and pinpoint counterattacks on the terrorists,' she said.
She also referred to geopolitical struggles and India's focus on strategic autonomy and self-reliance.
Youn Jung Choi said South Korea can be a very beneficial and useful partner to help India to have a modernised military power
'We are in the middle of a geopolitical struggle. India, Pakistan, South Korea and North Korea share a very similar history. We are located in a very similar strategic position, which means there are so many things to do together between our two countries. At the same time, we have to take very concrete action,' she said.
'For instance, India is focusing more on its strategic autonomy and self-reliance. In this perspective, South Korea can be a very beneficial and useful partner to help India to have a modernised military power. I think this is a perfect time that we can embark on a very specific project which helps both countries to prosper and to have peace together,' she added.
Operation Sindoor was launched on May 7 as a decisive military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack by Pak-sponsored terrorists in which 26 people were killed. Indian Armed Forces targeted terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, leading to the death of over 100 terrorists.
India subsequently repelled aggression by Pakistan and pounded its airbases. (ANI)
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