Indian and Korea Coast Guards Hold 14th High Level Meeting

The 14th High Level Meeting (HLM) between the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and the Korea Coast Guard (KCG) was held at Incheon, in the Republic of Korea, on 14 October 2026. The Ministry of Defence gave out the outcome on 15 October 2026. The two maritime agencies used the meeting to widen bilateral maritime cooperation and to set their strategic engagement on a firmer footing.

Who led the two delegations

The Indian Coast Guard delegation was led by Inspector General T. Sashi Kumar. The Korea Coast Guard delegation was led by Senior Superintendent General Im Myeong Gil. The Indian team was in the Republic of Korea on an official visit running from 13 to 16 October 2026, and the High Level Meeting was the central engagement of that visit.

What the two sides went over

The existing operational frameworks were reviewed first, after which the talks turned to roadmap strategies for deeper cooperation. Five areas were named:

• Maritime Search and Rescue (M-SAR), the task of finding and saving people and vessels in distress at sea.
• Marine Pollution Response (MPR), which covers the containment and clearing of oil and chemical spills.
• Maritime Law Enforcement (MLE), action against smuggling, poaching and other crime in the maritime zones.
• Capacity building, through which officers and crews of both services are trained.
• Operational coordination between the two agencies at sea.

What was agreed

Both coast guards reaffirmed their commitment to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) already in force between them, and agreed to carry four strands of work further: professional exchanges, joint training exercises, bilateral ship visits, and the sharing of information in real time. Real-time sharing matters most in a search and rescue call or a pollution emergency, where a few hours decide the outcome.

Why the meeting matters

The Indian Coast Guard works under the Ministry of Defence and guards India maritime zones, so an institutional channel with another regional coast guard adds reach that neither service has on its own. The meeting closed with both sides reaffirming a shared aim: deeper operational synergy, and a maritime ecosystem in the region that is safe, secure and environmentally sustainable.