India, South Korea ink nuke deal

The deal signed in the presence of President Pratibha Patil and her Korean counterpart Lee Myung-Bak makes South Korea the ninth partner of India in the area of nuclear power cooperation.

The accord was finalised during a meeting of Patil and Lee at the "Blue House" in Seoul where they discussed ways to "add substance and content to India-RoK relations," in the backdrop of the "strategic partnership" that exists between the two countries, said External Affairs Ministry official Sanjay Singh during a press conference here.

The historic agreement, which came on the second day of Patil's seven-day trip to South Korea and Mongolia, was signed on India's behalf by Dr Srikumar Banerjee, Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), and on the RoK's behalf by Kim Sung-hwan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Republic of Korea (RoK).
Official-level discussions that led to this accord had been taking place between the two countries for over a year now.

"This is an agreement for civil-nuclear cooperation, which is like the other civil-nuclear cooperation agreements we have signed with other countries," explained Gautam Bambawale, Joint Secretary (East Asia), in the MEA.

Its objective was similar to the deal India has signed with the US and will make the RoK one more partner for civil nuclear energy production in India, he said. Korean companies could now enter the Indian market to tie up with the Nuclear Power Corporation of India to build nuclear power reactors and this was a major development, Bambawale said.

Asked if the accord with Korea was only to benefit some Korean companies, Singh replied: "I won't say it is a one-way process; it is a win-win process, to the mutual advantage of both the countries."

The Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) diluting India's initial "clean waiver" to enable nuclear commerce, will not impinge on this agreement, Bambawale clarified to a query from Deccan Herald. South Korea was also a member of the NSG, he underlined.

Singh disclosed that the President of the two countries also discussed possibilities of cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space. India looked forward to once again launching Korean satellites on Indian rockets. Singh also said the president conveyed to her Korean counterpart that Indian "facilities are of high quality and are available at competitive prices." The discussions also covered expansion of Indo-Korean defence cooperation. "India will soon open a defence attache's office at our Embassy in Seoul which will give fillip to defence ties," said Singh.

India also conveyed to Korea its willingness to further upgrade the "Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement." Patil urged the need for greater access in the Korean market for Indian pharmaceuticals and IT services which were of high quality, said Singh.