India, S Korea have complementary strengths: Moon Jae-in

South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Monday that India and South Korea shared strong bilateral relations and would cooperate in various key sectors to enhance their ties.

Speaking at the inauguration function of Samsung mobile factory here, President Moon said, "India and Korea have complementary strengths and both the countries will be helpful to each other in every way. Standing at the Noida plant, I think of the way India and Korea first met, all those years ago with dynamic civilisations."

The South Korean President and Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier today inaugurated 35-acre Samsung mobile factory in Noida, considered to be the world's largest mobile factory.

Highlighting the significance of the plant, President Moon said that it would go down in the history of bilateral relations of India and Korea

"This plant and what it represents will go down in the history of bilateral relations of India and Korea. The expectations placed by Indians and Koreans have increased with us setting up the biggest plant in India. In every corner of this plant, we can feel the passion and pride of many people," he said.

President Moon said Samsung is now the number one market share for two consecutive years in India.

Expressing high-expectations on the new facility, he further said, "With the completion of this plant, there will be more jobs for Indians. Over 2,000 more jobs will be created. I hope smartphones produced by this plant are exported to more countries, strengthening cooperation between other countries."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier today said that the new Samsung mobile factory will further strengthen the bilateral relations between India and South Korea.

Underlining that the new facility will boost the Centre's Make in India initiative, he said, " The development of this factory will help in speeding the Make of India which is not just part of our economic policy but also a promise of good relations with countries like South Korea. This Rs. 5,000 crore deal will not only make Samsung's business relations with India strong but also strengthen India's ties with South Korea."

The South Korean President, who is on a three-day visit to India, earlier in the day addressed at the India-Korea business forum and visited Gandhi Smriti with Prime Minister Modi.

This is Moon's first-ever state visit to India after he took over as the South Korean President last year.