«Eastern Bridges»: The Origins of India–South Korea Strategic Partnership

For over a decade, India has been consistently implementing the strategy to increase its presence in the East Asia with varying degree of success. Having rejected the policy of non-alignment and economical autarchy of the Cold War era, India initiated the new «Look East» policy aimed at strengthening connections and partnership with other Asian countries. Initially, the focus was on the Southeast Asian states, especially ASEAN members, while the North-East was peripherical in terms of political discussion and academic research. The main spotlight of academic studies has traditionally been India-China and India-Japan relations, while the development of India’s ties with the Republic of Korea remains understudied. This article offers the analysis of establishing India-South Korea relations within the framework of the evolution of the «Look East» foreign policy strategy.