On a Monday in mid-October, the Indian frigate INS Sahyadri eased into Busan Naval Harbour, opening a first-ever bilateral exercise between the Indian Navy and the Republic of Korea Navy. The ship is a homegrown vessel, and its visit comes midway through a longer voyage across the South China Sea and the wider Indo-Pacific. Both capitals describe the meeting as a natural outgrowth of shared maritime interests and years of quiet, growing contact. Whether this first gathering becomes a lasting rhythm between two navies is a question only the coming months can answer.
Maiden India-South Korea Navy Bilateral Exercise Opens with INS Sahyadri's Busan Port Call
One exercise is an event; a repeat makes it a series.
Mark
A frigate pulls into Busan. Why is that more than a routine port call?
Mimi
Because it's tied to the first bilateral exercise between the Indian and Korean navies. The ship is on a wider Indo-Pacific deployment, but Busan was built around this new exercise.
Mark
What actually happens during it?
Mimi
Harbour first: cross-deck visits, cross-training, sharing best practices, sports fixtures, and a courtesy round of calls by the Commanding Officer. Then Sahyadri and ROKS Gyeongnam go out for joint exercises at sea.
Luke
Do we know what the at-sea drills involve?
Mimi
Not from this release. It names the ships but not the serials or duration.
Mark
And the claim that cooperation has grown significantly in recent years?
Luke
That's the Indian side's framing. No figures or earlier exercises are cited, so it's an assertion we can't check here.
Mark
Same for the language about India as a Preferred Security Partner?
Luke
Yes, that's self-description from Indian official statements. There's no Korean statement in this material, so we only have one government's reading of what this means.
Mimi
What is solid is the dates, the ship, its class and home port, and the planned phases.
Mark
So what's the thing to watch?
Mimi
Whether there's a second edition. One exercise is an event; a repeat makes it a series.
Il Polso
- A warship from India's Eastern Fleet docked at Busan on 13 October, marking the first time the two navies have launched a bilateral exercise together.
- Sailors are swapping ship visits, trading training know-how, and facing off in sporting fixtures before the drills move to open water.
- The at-sea phase with the South Korean frigate ROKS Gyeongnam is coming next, though its exact content has not been disclosed.
- Officials on both sides frame the event as a milestone, and the real test now is whether a second exercise follows to make it a series.
On a Monday in mid-October, the Indian frigate INS Sahyadri eased into Busan Naval Harbour, opening a first-ever bilateral exercise between the Indian Navy and the Republic of Korea Navy. The ship is a homegrown vessel, and its visit comes midway through a longer voyage across the South China Sea and the wider Indo-Pacific. Both capitals describe the meeting as a natural outgrowth of shared maritime interests and years of quiet, growing contact. Whether this first gathering becomes a lasting rhythm between two navies is a question only the coming months can answer.
On Monday, 13 October 2025, the Indian Navy frigate INS Sahyadri came alongside at Busan Naval Harbour in South Korea. The visit opened the first bilateral exercise between the Indian Navy and the Republic of Korea Navy, and the Ministry of Defence confirmed the details the following day.
The stop is part of a longer deployment, with Sahyadri currently operating in the South China Sea and the wider Indo-Pacific. The Korean navy gave the ship a warm welcome, pointing to the growing contact between the two navies and the strategic partnership between their governments. Sahyadri, the third Shivalik-class stealth frigate, was designed and built in India and commissioned in 2012. Its home port is Visakhapatnam, where it serves in the Eastern Fleet.
The exercise unfolds in two phases. In harbour, crews will exchange visits across each other's decks, share best practices, run cross-training sessions, and play sporting matches against their hosts. The ship's Commanding Officer is also set to meet senior Korean naval officials and local dignitaries. At sea, Sahyadri and ROKS Gyeongnam will then carry out joint drills, though the release does not describe them.
Indian official statements frame the exercise as a significant step in the strategic partnership and a culmination of recent naval cooperation. The available account includes no Korean government statement and no details of the at-sea schedule. The next signal to watch is whether a second exercise follows the first.
On Monday, 13 October 2025, the Indian Navy frigate INS Sahyadri came alongside at Busan Naval Harbour in South Korea. The call marked the start of the first bilateral exercise between the Indian Navy and the Republic of Korea Navy. The Ministry of Defence confirmed the details in a release issued the following day.
The visit is one leg of a longer deployment. Sahyadri is currently operating in the South China Sea and the wider Indo-Pacific, and the Busan stop was built around the new exercise. According to the release, the Korean navy gave the ship a warm welcome and pointed to the growing contact between the two navies and the strategic partnership between their governments.
Sahyadri is the third ship of the Shivalik class of guided missile stealth frigates. It was designed and built in India and commissioned in 2012. The Indian side presents it as an example of the 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' self-reliance vision. The ship has taken part in a number of bilateral and multilateral exercises and operational deployments. Its home port is Visakhapatnam, where it serves in the Eastern Fleet of the Eastern Naval Command.
The exercise has two phases. In the harbour phase, the crew will take part in reciprocal cross-deck visits, in which sailors tour each other's ships. They will also share best practices, run cross-training sessions and play sporting fixtures against their hosts. The ship's Commanding Officer is scheduled to call on senior Korean naval officials and local dignitaries.
The second phase moves to sea. After the harbour activities, Sahyadri and the South Korean ship ROKS Gyeongnam will carry out joint exercises together. The release does not describe what those drills will involve.
The Indian Navy summed up the visit in a post on X. It said the Eastern Fleet ship would take part in the maiden bilateral exercise, which it called a significant step towards strengthening the strategic partnership between the two nations.
The release places the exercise in a wider context. As the Indo-Pacific grows in importance to global geopolitics, it says, both countries have increasingly recognised the need for partnerships grounded in shared interests. Naval cooperation between India and South Korea has grown noticeably in recent years, and this exercise is described as the culmination of that growth. The release also says Sahyadri's deployment underscores India's role as a responsible maritime stakeholder and a Preferred Security Partner.
Those characterisations come from Indian official statements, and the available account does not include a Korean government statement or details of the at-sea schedule. What to watch next is whether this first exercise is followed by a second, which would show whether it becomes a recurring bilateral series.
Citazioni salienti
The Eastern Fleet ship will take part in the maiden bilateral exercise, a significant step towards enhancing the strategic partnership between the two nations.— Indian Navy, in a post on X (paraphrased)
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