Vietnam is a key partner of the Republic of Korea (RoK) in the latter's implementation of its foreign policy in the region, Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul affirmed during his talks with Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son in Hanoi on April 15.

Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son (right) and the RoK's Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul meet in Hanoi on April 15.

Cho, who is paying an official visit to Vietnam and attending the fourth Partnership for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 (P4G) Summit, said that the RoK will work with Vietnam to successfully achieve their development goals for 2045.

He expressed his hope that the two foreign ministries will continue bringing into play their role in coordinating the Vietnam – RoK cooperation, thereby helping enhance bilateral relations in a more effective and substantive manner.

Welcoming Cho on his first official visit to Vietnam in his new role, Son said the trip will contribute to the substantive development of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries amid complex and unpredictable global and regional situations.

Regarding political relations, both sides expressed their pleasure at the Vietnam – RoK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership flourishing across all fields.

They agreed to continue increasing delegation exchanges and engagement at all levels, strengthen cooperation in diplomacy, defence, and security, and efficiently implement bilateral dialogue and cooperation mechanisms.

They spoke highly of the close coordination between the two foreign ministries, especially the maintenance of the annual ministerial-level dialogue mechanism to review the realisation of the action plan for implementing the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

In terms of economic cooperation, both sides agreed to strive for the bilateral trade target of 150 billion USD by 2030 in a balanced and sustainable manner, and facilitate Vietnamese and Korean goods' access to each other's markets.

Son affirmed that Vietnam always encourages RoK businesses to invest and expand their investments in Vietnam, particularly in priority sectors such as infrastructure development, electronics, semiconductor, renewable energy, and smart city building.

Cho thanked the Vietnamese Government for its continuous support and favourable conditions for Korean businesses' long-term investments in the country.

He emphasised the strong economic links, saying the RoK views Vietnam's economic success as its own and that Korean businesses also wish to contribute to Vietnam's economic development.

On other cooperation aspects, the two sides agreed to further reinforce collaboration in science and technology, labour, health care, culture, education, and people-to-people exchanges.

The Vietnamese Deputy PM and FM proposed the RoK increase quotas and sectors for receiving Vietnamese workers; promote ties in digital transformation, research and development, and human resources training for Vietnam; and continue simplifying visa granting procedures for Vietnamese citizens travelling to the RoK.

In response, the Korean official noted he will work with relevant ministries and agencies of the RoK to step up bilateral cooperation as suggested by his host.

During the talks, the two sides also agreed to maintain close coordination and mutual support in addressing international and regional issues of common concern at multilateral mechanisms such as the United Nations, the ASEAN – RoK cooperation, and the Mekong – RoK cooperation.

On this occasion, Son thanked the RoK's Government and Ministry of Foreign Affairs for actively supporting Vietnam in hosting the P4G Summit. He also asked for cooperation to successfully organise the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) events in the RoK this year and APEC activities in Vietnam in 2027.

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