(image: Yonhap)
SEOUL, Jul. 10 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean President Moon Jae-in, during a state visit to India, surprised reporters yesterday by taking the subway with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on their journey to inaugurate the world’s largest mobile phone manufacturing facility, which was developed by Samsung Electronics in Noida, India.
Earlier in the day, Moon and Modi visited Gandhi Smriti, a museum dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi, before heading to the mobile phone factory.
Initial plans had the two leaders taking separate transportation to the Samsung facilities, but at Prime Minister Modi’s request, the two leaders ending up taking a subway ride that passed 11 stations before arriving at their destination.
During the subway ride, President Moon and Prime Minister Modi exchanged dialogue in seemingly high spirits while other high-level officials such as South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-hwa took part in the conversation.
During stops at different subway stations, Indian citizens came towards the window near where the dignitaries were sitting to wave, call out cheers and take photographs.
An official from the Blue House said that Prime Minister Modi made the surprise proposal of a subway ride as a sign of goodwill between the two countries.
“I think the subway ride was a way to meet the people of India,” said the official when asked about the reason behind the choice of transportation.
The official also explained that the two leaders had used their own vehicles to head for the subway station after leaving the Gandhi museum.
After leaving the last subway station, the two leaders, once again, took their own individual vehicles to travel to the Noida factory.
The subway train that the two state leaders took was designed by Hyundai Rotem, and the construction of portions of the subway tracks was, in part, carried out by Samsung C&T Corporation.
Upon arriving at the Noida factory, the two leaders were met by Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong.
H. S. Seo (hsseo@koreabizwire.com)
