Yoon, Modi discuss expanding cooperation for electric vehicles and hydrogen

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to expand the two countries’ cooperation for energy and space development, including electric vehicles and hydrogen, during a summit held on Sunday (local time). While India, the third largest carbon emitter in the world, set a goal to make a transition to electric vehicles and produce green hydrogen, South Korea, with technologies, will strengthen cooperation with the country by utilizing opportunities in India.

President Yoon, who visited India to attend a G20 summit, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Bharat Mandapam International Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre (IECC) in New Delhi and decided to diversify the two countries’ cooperation into the digital industry, including information technology, software, and communication, and the green industry, electric vehicles, and hydrogen. India set a goal to reduce its carbon emissions by 45 percent by 2030 by making a transition to electric vehicles in the transportation sector and becoming a global producer and exporter of green hydrogen in the energy sector.

The cooperation between India, with a large domestic market and abundant labor, and South Korea, with electric vehicles and hydrogen technologies, is expected to be accelerated. “Hyundai Motor Group announced a plan to invest 3.2 trillion won to build an electric vehicle ecosystem in India,” said Choi Sang-mok, the senior presidential secretary for economic affairs.

“Cooperation between South Korea, a global leader in the hydrogen economy, and India is very promising.” In addition, the two leaders agreed to continue cooperation to conduct the second project for K9 self-propelled artillery, a symbol of the two countries’ defense cooperation.


Joo-Young Jeon aimhigh@donga.com