RoK President considers Vietnam top priority partner: special envoy

Hanoi (VNA) – President of the Republic of Korea (RoK) Lee Jae Myung considers Vietnam a partner of leading importance in his country’s foreign policy towards the region, his special envoy Park Chang-dal told Vietnamese Party General Secretary To Lam at a meeting in Hanoi on July 29.

Receiving the RoK guest, the host leader expressed his appreciation for the RoK President’s decision to send a special envoy to Vietnam shortly after taking office which, he said, reflects the importance placed on the ties with Vietnam in particular and on the Vietnam – RoK comprehensive strategic partnership in general.

Park praised the robust development of the bilateral relationship across all areas in recent years, especially since its elevation to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

He said that President Lee hopes the two sides will further increase high-level exchanges and contacts, and promote practical, effective, and sustainable cooperation in economy, trade, and investment. The special envoy also called for Vietnam’s continued support and favourable conditions for RoK businesses to operate and expand investments, particularly in nuclear power and joint response to the shifting global economic and trade landscape.

Agreeing with these proposals, General Secretary Lam affirmed that the Vietnamese Party and State's consistent policy is to attach great importance to and advance the cooperative ties with the RoK to new heights in a substantive, effective, and long-term manner. He suggested that the two countries work together to develop comprehensive and fruitful bilateral cooperation based on political trust and the close relationships among their businesses, localities, and peoples.

He said that in addition to traditional areas, both sides should enhance collaboration in science and technology to create new momentum for the partnership. This includes fostering artificial intelligence (AI) cooperation, building data centres in Vietnam, and implementing projects to support the training of high-quality human resources.

Touching on regional and international issues, the Party chief proposed that the two sides continue to closely coordinate and support each other at multilateral forums in a way that aligns with the interests of their peoples, thus contributing to peace, stability, and development in the region and beyond.

Park affirmed that the RoK will cooperate closely with Vietnam to successfully organise the APEC Summit in the former in 2025 and in the latter in 2027./.