RoK and ASEAN flags (Photo: aseanvietnam.vn) Talking to Vietnam News Agency onthe occasion of ASEAN’s 55th founding anniversary (August 8), Kimsaid that the two sides have to date become each other’s major partner invarious fields on the basis of the strategic partnership.
ASEAN is currently the RoK’s second biggest trade partnerand third largest investment destination. Two-way trade enjoyed a record highin 2021, reaching 177 billion USD.
In terms of people-to-people exchanges, the AKC leaderstated that ASEAN is also very important to the RoK. Before the COVID-19pandemic, the ASEAN was the most visited destination byKoreans. In particular, by 2021, the number of students from ASEAN countriesranked first among foreign students studying in the RoK, accounting for 41%.
In the context of complicated developments of the regionaland world situations, including the restructuring of global supply chains,lingering COVID-19 pandemic, and food and energy crises, Kim predicted thatthe RoK-ASEAN relations will become more important.
Secretary General of ASEAN-Korea Centre Kim Hae-yong in an interview to Vietnam News Agency correspondent in RoK (Photo: VNA) The official suggested both sides step up cooperation in theimplementation of start-up policies, innovative industries, electronics, biology,health care, tourism, and cooperation between small and medium enterprises.
Regarding Vietnam's role in the RoK’s policy toward ASEAN, heemphasised that Vietnam is not only an important and optimal partner in hiscountry’s ASEAN policy, but also one of the top priority partners in itscooperation policy with other countries around the world.
Two-way trade increased by 160-fold to 80.7 billion USD in2021 since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1992. At present, Vietnam isthe RoK’s fourth biggest trade partner, while the latter is the former’s thirdlargest. The RoK is also Vietnam’s second largest investor, with nearly9,000 businesses operating in the Southeast Asian country./.
VNA
