According to the Ministry of External Affairs, Amit Kumar, an IFS officer from the 1995 batch, has been named the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Korea.
“Amit Kumar (IFS: 1995), presently Consul General, Consulate General of India, Chicago, has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Korea,” according to a MEA statement. He is expected to start his assignment soon.
Previous Ambassador to Republic of Korea
Sripriya Ranganathan, an Indian Foreign Services (IFS) officer from the 1994 batch, previously held the position. Ranganathan earned her master’s degree in history from Delhi University, with a specialisation in modern Indian history, prior to joining the Foreign Services.
She worked as the second in command at the Indian Embassy in Yangon. Her other overseas assignments included stops in Ankara and Hong Kong.
During her many years at headquarters, she has served in various capacities in both the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. She was the Joint Secretary (Director General) in charge of relations with Bangladesh and Myanmar.
Ranganathan has also served as the Director of the Ministry’s SAARC Division and Policy Planning Division. She previously worked as a Director in the Divisions of Disarmament and International Security Affairs, as well as an Under Secretary in the Administration and Europe West Divisions. She worked in the Export Promotion (Agricultural Products) and Trade Policy Divisions during her secondment to the
Department of Commerce.
Relations between India and the Republic of Korea
Relations between India and the Republic of Korea (RoK) have advanced significantly in recent years, becoming truly multidimensional as a result of a significant convergence of interests, mutual goodwill, and high-level exchanges.
According to the data from Korea and the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy (MOTIE), Korea and India have a strong economic partnership that is rapidly expanding.
“Bilateral trade between the two countries reached USD 23.7 billion in 2021, surpassing USD 21.5 billion in 2018. This was the highest-ever trade volume between the two countries, representing a 40 per cent increase over the previous year and a total of USD 16.9 billion,” as per KOTRA, the commercial section of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea.
On the invitation of then-South Korean President Moon Jae-in, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a state visit to South Korea from February 21-22, 2019, during which both sides held extensive discussions on defence, economic, cultural, and scientific cooperation.
Both leaders unveiled a bust of Mahatma Gandhi at Seoul’s prestigious Yonsei University. PM Modi also received the Seoul Peace Prize and presented a Bodhi sapling to Gimhae City.
Six Memorandums of Understanding were signed on start-ups, joint postal stamp issues, combating trans-border and international crime, trade facilitation, roadways, and media.
PM Modi and President Moon met again on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan on 28 June 2019, and exchanged opinions on diverse fields including economic and defense industry cooperation as well as people-to-people exchanges.
