Busan (VNA) – Party General Secretary To Lam and his spouse Ngo Phuong Ly, accompanied by a high-level Vietnamese delegation, left Busan for Hanoi on August 13, concluding their four-day state visit to the Republic of Korea (RoK) at the invitation of Korean President Lee Jae Myung and his spouse.
The Vietnamese Consul General in Busan, Doan Phuong Lan, and Busan Mayor Park Heong Jun, alongside a large number of representatives from the Vietnamese community in Busan, saw the delegation off at Gimhae Airport.
During the visit, General Secretary Lam held talks with President Lee, witnessed the exchange of cooperation agreements, met the press, and held meetings with the Prime Minister and the Speaker of the National Assembly of the RoK.
Upon arrival in Seoul, the Party chief had meetings with the Vietnam Innovation Network in Korea and Vietnamese experts residing in the RoK, Korean friends, the RoK–Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians’ Group, and staff of the Vietnamese Embassy and the Vietnamese community in the RoK. He also attended the inauguration ceremony of President Ho Chi Minh’s statue.
On this occasion, General Secretary Lam and RoK Prime Minister Kim Min Seok jointly attended the Vietnam–RoK Economic, and witnessed the signing of various cooperation agreements. These agreements, between Vietnamese ministries, sectors, localities, and Korean partners, covered energy, industry, digital infrastructure, digital transformation, supply chains, finance, banking, services, tourism, and high-quality human resource training.
During the visit, the Vietnamese leader delivered a keynote policy speech at Yonsei University. His address focused on strengthening connectivity and trust, promoting the Vietnam - RoK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for peace, prosperity, cooperation, and development. On this occasion, Professor Yoon Dong Sup, President of Yonsei University, presented an honorary doctorate degree to General Secretary Lam.
As part of the visit, General Secretary Lam and his entourage visited Busan, the RoK’s second-largest economic centre, where he met former Honorary Consul General of Vietnam in the RoK Park Soo Kwan and Busan Mayor Park Heong Jun. He attended the inauguration of the Vietnamese Consulate General in Busan, and took part in celebrations marking the 30th anniversary of the friendship and cooperative relationship between Ho Chi Minh City and Busan. The delegation also toured Busan Port to learn about its fully automated port operation technology.
At talks and meetings held during the visit, both sides exchanged views and reached important common perceptions to deepen and advance the Vietnam–RoK comprehensive strategic partnership, as well as cooperation on regional and international issues of mutual interest.
Leaders of the two countries highly valued the remarkable development of bilateral relations since diplomatic ties were established in 1992, especially following the upgrade to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2022. They affirmed that the two nations remain foremost important partners across all fields.
Both sides agreed that over 30 years of achievements provide a solid foundation and long-term motivation to deepen and make the comprehensive strategic partnership more substantive, effective, and to usher in a new phase.
Vietnamese and Korean leaders issued a Joint Statement highlighting key areas for enhanced cooperation to foster their comprehensive strategic partnership.
The two countries will consolidate political trust and promote practical cooperation in diplomacy, defence, and security. Vietnam and the RoK will elevate economic, trade, investment, science, technology, and development cooperation to new levels aligned with bilateral needs and interests.
They will foster collaboration in labour, health care, and education commensurate with the scope of their partnership. Both will increase cooperation in sustainable development, climate change response, agriculture, and infrastructure, aiming to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Forestry and sustainable water resource management will also see enhanced cooperation. The two countries agreed to promote exchanges and events to deepen cultural, sports, tourism, media, and people-to-people ties, fostering closer bonds and mutual understanding.
Vietnam and the RoK also agreed to collaborate closely in international and regional forums, while enhancing coordination at international organisations and multilateral mechanisms, and participating in joint efforts addressing traditional and non-traditional security challenges.
Both sides concurred that General Secretary Lam’s state visit was a great success, marking a significant milestone and opening a new chapter in the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.
More than 30 years since its establishment, Vietnam–RoK relationship has become a unique, highly effective, and substantive partnership. Their relationship framework has reached the highest level as a comprehensive strategic partnership with very high political trust, supported by practical cooperation across many fields delivering tangible benefits for people and businesses in both countries.
In the context of Vietnam pursuing major development goals, General Secretary Lam’s visit reflected Vietnam’s foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralisation and diversification as well as proactive and active international integration./.
