Vietnam has appointed the General Director of the LS Cable Company, Koo Cha-yol, as Honorary General Consul in the Republic of Korea (RoK)’s Kyonggi-Incheon region.

An inauguration ceremony was held in Seoul on May 27 in the presence of Vietnamese Ambassador to the RoK Tran Trong Toan and RoK Trade Minister Kim Jong-hoon.

Addressing the function, Ambassador Toan stressed that the appointment shows the Vietnamese government’s appreciation of the contributions that Koo Cha-yol has made as a social activist, a successful businessman and an enthusiastic investor to strengthening the friendship and cooperation between the two countries as well as protecting Vietnamese residents in the RoK.

According to the ambassador, Vietnam is boosting cooperation with Kyonggi-Incheon region, which has an important position on the RoK’s economic-political map, especially in economics and culture.

The region is now home to a large number of Vietnamese people and Incheon city has established ties with Vietnam ’s northern port city of Hai Phong , he said.

In his inaugural speech, Koo Cha-yol thanked Vietnam for giving him an opportunity to invest in the country, adding that he also felt he needed to pay back the debt of RoK soldiers who fought in the Vietnam war.

He pledged to fulfil his task as an honorary general consul as well as try his best to support Vietnamese people who are living in the RoK and strengthen the friendship between the two peoples.

His company started to invest in Vietnam in 1996 and built the LS-Vina joint venture in Hai Phong city/.