Busan (VNA) – State President Luong Cuong received Kim Ghee-whan, President of the Korea Foundation (KF), on November 1 as part of his trip to the Republic of Korea (RoK) to attend the 32nd APEC Economic Leaders’ Week and bilateral activities.
Welcoming the Vietnamese leader to the ASEAN Culture House in Busan, Kim said the KF has been focusing on projects promoting people-to-people, cultural, and youth exchanges, with Vietnam being among its top priority partners thanks to the strong development of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two nations.
According to Kim, more than 30 Vietnamese universities are currently supported by the foundation’s Korean Studies programme, while over 300 Vietnamese postgraduates and scholars have received KF fellowships to pursue Korean studies. The foundation has also been carrying out a youth exchange initiative connecting young people from both countries.
Amid global and regional challenges affecting cultural and people-to-people exchanges, the KF President called for continued close coordination between Vietnam and the RoK to overcome difficulties and deepen bilateral relations, including in culture and people-to-people diplomacy.
President Cuong commended the KF’s active role as a pioneer in cultural diplomacy, which has helped strengthen the humanistic foundation of the Vietnam – RoK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
He affirmed that over the past three decades, the two countries have become leading partners of each other in numerous fields, including cultural cooperation and people-to-people exchange which the KF always focuses on.
The Vietnamese leader shared his impression of the Korean art and culture showcased at APEC-related events and noted that APEC leaders had approved three major outcomes, including a declaration on the cultural industry.
President Cuong encouraged the KF to continue expanding collaboration with Vietnam, especially in teaching and promoting the Korean language, training teachers, developing curricula, and facilitating academic exchanges, in response to the growing demand for Korean language learning in Vietnam.
He also suggested the KF coordinate in the organisation of events to popularise the Vietnamese culture in the RoK and vice versa. He called on the foundation to assist in digitising, researching, and preserving cultural heritage through cooperation among museums, research institutes, and universities of both countries, and to foster people-to-people exchanges through arts, sports, cuisine, and fashion.
Highlighting the vast potential for cooperation, President Cuong stressed the importance of language and cultural understanding in fostering friendship between the two peoples.
During the meeting, both host and guest witnessed the handover of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology and the KF's ASEAN Culture House, marking a new step in bilateral cultural cooperation.
President Cuong also presented a souvenir to Kim and donated a Vietnamese cultural artifact to the ASEAN Culture Centre.
Later, he visited an exhibition of Vietnamese folk toys jointly organised by the Vietnamese Consulate General in Busan, the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, and the ASEAN Culture House./.
