India, S Korea explore nuclear, space cooperation

India and South Korea on Thursday agreed to explore possibilities for civil nuclear cooperation between the two countries as well as the launching of South Korean satellites aboard India's space launch vehicles, according to official sources in Seoul. These possibilities were discussed in talks between visiting Indian external affairs minister SM Krishna and his South Korean counterpart Yu Myung-hwan.

External affairs minister SM Krishna greets South Korean president Lee Myung-bak in Seoul.

South Korea and India hold ministerial talks, dubbed the Joint Commission, since 2002. This year was the sixth such meeting of its kind. Form this year the talks will be an annual affair, as agreed upon by leaders of both nations in January this year.

Both sides said they would pursue a nuclear cooperation deal. South Korea, buoyant after securing a significant contract to build nuclear power plants in the United Arab Emirates, is seeking to participate in India's civil nuclear industry.

In the area of space activities there already exists a memorandum of understanding between the Indian Space Research Organisation and the Korean Aerospace Research Institute which allows both sides to explore commercial opportunities with each other. On Krishna's suggestion to the S Korean president that his country could make use of ISRO facilities, president Lee Myung-bak ''asked his officials to do the necessary follow-up,'' an Indian statement noted.

The matter of Korea seeking launch facilities for its satellites assumes critical importance in the face of multiple failures of Koreas newly developed launch vehicle, which it has developed in collaboration with Russia.

Minister Krishna called upon the S Korean president at his residence.