Lee's India Visit Signals South Korea Strategic Reset

South Korean President Lee is scheduled to visit India in a move that signals a deliberate reset of bilateral ties after roughly a decade of limited engagement between the two countries. The visit marks a strategic pivot, with both sides apparently prepared to elevate the relationship beyond its current, underutilized baseline. India and South Korea established a Special Strategic Partnership in 2015, but the relationship has largely underperformed relative to its formal status, with trade, defense, and technology cooperation failing to scale commensurately. The renewed push arrives as both governments navigate shifting supply chain alignments, the broader China-plus-one manufacturing trend, and deepening Indo-Pacific security architectures. For South Korea, India represents a large consumer market, a defense procurement opportunity, and a hedge against concentrated regional risk. For India, South Korean capital, semiconductor expertise, and manufacturing technology address key industrial policy gaps. Concrete agreements on defense co-production, critical minerals, or technology transfer would be the clearest indicators of whether this visit produces durable strategic depth or remains largely declarative.