The RoK's Ambassador to Vietnam Oh Young Ju. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The Ambassador of the Republicof Korea (RoK) to Vietnam, Oh Young Ju, has said the upcoming Vietnam visit by the RoK’sPresident Yoon Suk Yeol from June 22-24 holds significance as it is the firstyear the two countries have deployed their Comprehensive strategic partnership.
It will bethe first State visit to Vietnam by the RoK President, and Vietnam is the firstSoutheast Asian country that the leader will visit since he took office in May 2022.
In aninterview recently granted to the press, Oh said this will be an occasion for Vietnameseand Korean leaders to share views on orientations and set forth visionsfor the bilateral ties. It will also be an opportunity for them to reach consensus on an action plan to effectively realise the Comprehensive strategic partnershipand further develop the bilateral relationship that has been developing strongly and fruitfully over the past three decades.
According to the ambassador, economy has been the most important cooperation area between the twonations over the past years. The two countries have been effectively working together in this field,utilising the most efficient approaches and forms to mutually support andcomplement each other.
Duringthis visit, over 200 Korean enterprises, including executives of five leadingKorean groups, will accompany President Yoon. It is the highest numberof businesses participating in a president's visit to a foreign country inrecent times, demonstrating the rapidly growing and impressive economic,investment, and trade cooperation between the two nations.
Looking back on the past time, Oh said the bilateral investment cooperation has primarily focused on the fields of manufacturing and processing.However, both governments and businesses of the two countries have recentlyrecognised the importance of identifying new projects and areas of cooperation,such as climate change response, environment, digital transformation, smartcity development, and energy transition. It is expected that there will be thepresence of many Korean enterprises related to these fields in the visit.
RoK President Yoon Suk Yeol (Photo: VNA) The RoK Governmentexpects that through this visit, the bilateral collaboration in diplomacy, defence andculture will also be stepped up, she said, expressing her hope that Vietnam and theRoK will further enhance coordination at multilateral forums to contribute tostability, peace and prosperity in the region and the world.
Asked about Vietnam’s position in the RoK’s strategicforeign policy priorities, the diplomat said the administration of President Yoon has outlined a new diplomaticstrategy with the goal of becoming a central global player to contribute topeace and prosperity in the region and the world.
In the implementation of the Indo-PacificStrategy and the Korean-ASEAN Solidarity Initiative (KASI) initiated by the KoreanGovernment, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is an important partner of the RoK. Especially, Vietnamplays a crucial role in tightening the ASEAN-RoK relations and bridging ASEAN with the RoK.
According to the diplomat, the RoK-Vietnam relations are witnessing strong development in many fields,especially in economy, diplomacy and people-to-people exchanges.
She hoped that in the future, the RoK will engage in discussions and exchanges withVietnam to further boost comprehensive cooperation in various spheres such as economy, security,culture, people-to-people exchange and official development assistance (ODA).
The ambassadoraffirmed that the President's upcoming visit will carry another important message, which isthe continued determination of both countries to enhance their relationship fora better future that brings benefits to their people, with a focus placed on thepromotion of people-to-people exchanges and the building of practical supportpolicies for their younger generations./.
