RoK defence minister receives Vietnamese Deputy Minister

Seoul (VNA) – The Republic of Korea’s Minister of National Defence Lee Jong-sup on September 6 received Vietnamese Deputy Minister of National Defence Senior Lieut. Gen. Hoang Xuan Chien who is on a working trip to the northeast Asian nation.

Minister Lee welcomed Deputy Minister Chien’s RoK trip to co-chair the 10th Vietnam – RoK Defence Policy Dialogue, and attend the ASEAN – RoK Deputy Defense Ministers’ Meeting and the 11th Seoul Defence Dialogue.

Lee spotlighted the fruitful development of the Vietnam – RoK relations, saying that the bilateral defence cooperation has increasingly deepened in a substantive and effective manner, contributing to promoting the strategic partnership between the two countries.

The host expressed his belief that contents agreed by the two sides at the 10th Vietnam – RoK Defence Policy Dialogue will contribute to further promoting defence cooperation between the two countries, especially in defence industry, maritime security, and military heath care. 

For his part, Deputy Minister Chien showed his hope that Minister Lee will pay attention to directing and creating conditions for the two sides’ authoritised agencies to bolster cooperation areas agreed at the dialogue.

Previously, RoK Deputy Minister of National Defence Shin Beom-chul chaired the ASEAN-RoK Deputy Defense Ministers’ Meeting, which was an exchange channel to promote defence relations between ASEAN and the RoK.

Deputy Minister Chien affirmed as the coordinator of ASEAN-RoK relations in the 2021-2024 period, Vietnam wishes to further step up the ASEAN-RoK defence relations, focusing on enhancing meetings and maintaining existing cooperation mechanisms in order to exchange views on  issues of common concern and build trust; and supporting the RoK’s priorities in fostering relations with ASEAN in response to non-traditional security challenges such as counterterrorism, cyber security, and marine security./.