ABSTRACT
Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao brought his rich experience as India's External Affairs Minister to the corner office in South Block and was well suited to steer India's external relations in a post-Cold War world. The clandestine exchanges between the DPRK and Pakistan harm the security of both India and the Republic of Korea (ROK) and here the strategic interests of the countries converge in working with the international community to expose and inhibit the continuation of this unholy alliance. In the 1990s, both India and the ROK had undergone momentous changes. India was an emerging economic giant, a nuclear weapons power and a more confident nation. The ROK was well established as a mature democracy with an enviable sustained economic growth. On 10 December 2003, the 30th anniversary of full diplomatic relations between India and South Korea was celebrated with the exchange of felicitation messages between the two presidents, prime ministers and foreign ministers.
