India Korea coast guard cooperation will see more joint training, ship visits and real-time information sharing, after the two services held their 14th High Level Meeting (HLM) at Incheon, Republic of Korea, on Wednesday. The talks took place at the Korea Coast Guard (KCG) headquarters.

Inspector General (IG) T Sashi Kumar led the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) delegation, on an official visit to Korea from 13 to 16 October. Senior Superintendent General Im Myeong Gil led the KCG side.

Joint training, ship visits and information sharing agreed

According to the Indian Coast Guard, both sides reviewed the existing operational frameworks between the two forces and looked at a roadmap to work more closely together. Five areas were on the table: Maritime Search and Rescue (M-SAR), Marine Pollution Response (MPR), Maritime Law Enforcement (MLE), capacity building and operational coordination.

Under their existing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the two Coast Guards agreed to step up professional exchanges, hold more joint training exercises, carry out bilateral ship visits and share information in real time.

The ICG said the meeting reiterated a shared resolve to deepen operational synergy and help keep the region's seas safe, secure and environmentally sustainable.

Search and rescue and law enforcement at sea on the agenda

Search and rescue is a core ICG task. The service is India's coordinating authority for maritime search and rescue across the Indian Search and Rescue Region. Earlier this month it staged SAREX-2026 off Paradip, a mass rescue exercise built around an aircraft ditching at sea, watched by 32 observers from 30 countries.

Narcotics interdiction and oil spill response in focus

Law enforcement at sea has kept the force busy as well. Last month, working with the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad, the ICG intercepted an Iranian dhow west of Lakshadweep and recovered around 526 kg of heroin and methamphetamine in a major narcotics seizure.

Pollution response is the third pillar. The ICG is the central coordinating agency for oil spill response in Indian waters.

ICG widens engagement with Indo-Pacific partners

The Incheon talks are part of a busy season of foreign engagement for the ICG. In September, ICG Ship Shaunak sailed from Chennai to Perth, Australia, under the Quad-at-Sea Ship Observer Mission, with six Sea Riders on board. Two each came from India and Japan, and one each from Australia and the United States.

India Korea coast guard ties go back to 2005

The two forces have worked together since 2005, and the relationship was formalised through an MoU signed in 2006, according to the Indian Coast Guard. Reciprocal delegation visits, ship visits and professional exchanges have followed.

The 11th HLM in the India Korea coast guard series was held at Coast Guard Headquarters in New Delhi in April 2023, when a seven-member KCG delegation came to India led by Commissioner General Kim Jong Wook. Joint exercises, wider training collaboration and better operational-level interaction were on that agenda too.

The 13th round was also hosted in New Delhi, in July 2025. Director General S Paramesh led the Indian side, while Commissioner General Kim Yong Jin headed a five-member Korean delegation. The KCG team was hosted at a dinner by the Korean Embassy in India during the visit, and its programme included an industrial visit to Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited and an ICG patrol vessel in Mumbai.