‘We can do joint movie making’: South Korean foreign minister backs deeper cultural ties with India

South Korea’s Foreign Minister Cho Hyun has said that India and Korea should look at film collaborations as part of expanding cultural ties, highlighting how young people in both countries are increasingly drawn to each other’s traditions.

“We can do many more things in the future like joint movie making… and there are many other areas for cooperation. But more importantly, Korean young people are fascinated by the long history of Indian culture and vice versa is true,” Cho said during his visit to New Delhi.

Cho, who served as South Korea’s Ambassador to India between 2015 and 2017, said returning to Delhi brought back strong memories of his earlier tenure. “Ten years ago, I landed in Delhi and I was very much humbled by the depths of the culture… Now I see even more good changes that have been made during the past ten years,” he noted.

His meeting with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar focused on reviewing ties and exploring new areas of cooperation. “It was a good meeting, and I used to meet him when I was here, and he was the Foreign Secretary. We discussed various issues and explored ways to enhance our bilateral relationship,” Cho recalled.

Welcoming him, Jaishankar said it was a privilege to host “an old friend as a new colleague” and stressed the significance of Cho’s visit coinciding with the 10th anniversary of the India–Korea Special Strategic Partnership.

Cultural links between the two nations go back centuries, from the story of Ayodhya princess Suriratna who became Queen Hur Hwang-ok in Korea, to the travels of Buddhist monk Hyecho in India in the 8th century. Cho’s push for joint film production now signals a modern extension of those long-standing ties.