India said on Tuesday it had summoned South Korea ambassador to express displeasure over a social media post by a Pakistani partner of Hyundai Motor over disputed Kashmir that has caused a furore in the country. The foreign ministers of India and South Korea also spoke by telephone as the car company faced a backlash in India from social media users incensed by comments expressing solidarity with the people of Kashmir.
South Korea Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong expressed his regret during the conversation with Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. The diplomatic escalation is a rare moment of discord between the two countries that have long enjoyed friendly ties. And highlights the risks global companies face while navigating local sensitivities amid rising nationalism in the region.
The row erupted on Sunday, a day after Pakistan marked the annual Kashmir Solidarity Day. Posts on behalf of Hyundai’s partner, the Nishat Group, appeared on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram commemorating. What it described as the sacrifices of Kashmiris struggling for self-determination.
India and arch-rival Pakistan control parts of Kashmir but both claim the Himalayan territory in full. India says Pakistan supports an armed insurrection against New Delhi’s rule in India-controlled Kashmir that broke out in 1990. Pakistan denies the charge and says it only provides diplomatic and moral support for the Kashmiri people.
South Korea’s envoy was called into the Indian foreign office on Monday to register New Delhi’s protest against the posts. Hyundai is India’s second-largest car seller after Maruti Suzuki. Selling close to half a million vehicles in the country in the last fiscal year and exporting over a million units. Making it India’s largest car exporter.