India, South Korea to strengthen defence ties

Seoul: With China determined to ring-fence India with hostile allies, India has decided to take on the dragon in its own backyard and heighten its civil and defence relationship with East Asian powers, South Korea and Japan.

On Saturday Indian defence minister AK Antony, just arrived in Seoul, explored ways to strengthen bilateral ties with this peninsular nation.

Sources said both sides discussed issues like anti-piracy and disaster relief providing a strong impetus to bilateral relations that are described as having taken a "sharp upward trajectory."

Defence minister AK Antony visits comes hard on the heels of a visit to Seoul by Indian foreign minister, SM Krishna.

India has increased the pace of its engagement with East Asian nations with the Japanese foreign affairs minister Katsuya Okada just returned from Delhi with promises to work out a path breaking civil nuclear engagement with India. Both nations have already increased the level of their maritime engagements with each other.

Antony, on a two-day visit here, called on South Korean president Lee Myung-bak.