Lee, on a state visit to Vietnam after visiting India, made the remarks in a joint press statement after a summit with To Lam, the Communist Party general secretary and state president. Lee said South Korea is “the best partner” for Vietnam’s vision of becoming a high-income advanced country by 2045.
The two leaders said the summit further strengthened cooperation under their “comprehensive strategic partnership.” They said the countries agreed to develop trade and investment ties on a more mutually beneficial basis to meet a goal of $150 billion in trade by 2030.
Following is the full text of the South Korea-Vietnam joint press statement:
Thank you to General Secretary To Lam and the people of Vietnam for inviting me and our delegation and for your warm welcome.
After the launch of South Korea’s new government last year, the general secretary visited South Korea as the first state guest. This time, I am visiting as the first state guest following the launch of Vietnam’s new leadership. I believe this is a special scene that shows how close our relationship is.
I am also very pleased to see firsthand Vietnam’s dynamic development under General Secretary To Lam’s leadership.
Vietnam is South Korea’s third-largest partner for trade and investment, and South Korea is Vietnam’s largest investor.
About 10,000 South Korean companies have entered Vietnam across sectors including petrochemicals, shipbuilding, steel and electronics, building a high level of economic partnership.
As the best partner for Vietnam’s vision of becoming a high-income advanced country by 2045, South Korea is pursuing wide-ranging cooperation from logistics, transportation, energy and infrastructure to future industries such as science and technology, intellectual property and creative industries.
At today’s talks, we agreed to further strengthen this “comprehensive strategic partnership.”
I will outline the main outcomes of the summit.
First, to achieve the goal of $150 billion in trade by 2030, we agreed to develop trade and investment cooperation on a more mutually beneficial basis.
For the first time, the two countries agreed to mutually export heat-treated processed meat. Based on the memorandum of understanding on cooperation in animal health and quarantine signed this time, we agreed to accelerate cooperation to expand trade in agricultural and livestock products.
I again thank General Secretary To Lam for highly valuing the role of our companies in Vietnam and for saying he will actively work to ensure stable and predictable business conditions for them.
Second, based on firm mutual trust, we agreed to strengthen strategic cooperation in energy and infrastructure.
We shared the view that cooperation is even more necessary amid supply-chain instability stemming from the recent Middle East situation. We agreed to work more closely to strengthen energy security and stabilize supply chains.
Tomorrow, a contract will be signed for South Korea to export rail cars for Ho Chi Minh City’s urban railway. I hope the contract contributes to improving Vietnam’s rail infrastructure and leads to expanded cooperation on major transportation and logistics infrastructure projects Vietnam is pursuing.
We also agreed to communicate closely so that projects such as new cities and new airports, which Vietnam is pursuing as part of its national development vision, can produce many model cases of bilateral infrastructure cooperation.
Third, we agreed to expand cooperation in forward-looking areas including science and technology, climate change and the environment, and culture and education.
I expressed support for General Secretary To Lam’s science and technology development policies and said South Korea will actively contribute.
Based on the “master plan for cooperation in science, technology and innovation,” we will strengthen cooperation on joint research in semiconductors, secondary batteries and biotechnology, and on support for training research talent.
The memorandum of understanding on digital cooperation signed this time will expand cooperation in digital fields such as AI and semiconductors and will also contribute significantly to the expansion of our IT companies into Vietnam.
In addition, we signed a memorandum of understanding on water security cooperation to prevent flood damage linked to climate change and to secure water security. We also agreed to work together to strengthen cultural cooperation, including media, with Vietnam, where the outlook for creative industries is bright, and to strengthen Korean-language education in Vietnam.
Fourth, we agreed to cooperate closely to ensure stable stays and to enhance the rights and interests of each other’s citizens and multicultural families.
Vietnam is the second most visited country in the world for South Koreans, with as many as 4.5 million South Koreans visiting each year.
It is also the top country for international marriages involving South Koreans, forming 100,000 multicultural families. It is also the ASEAN country with the largest population of overseas Koreans.
General Secretary To Lam said he will support the safety of our citizens visiting Vietnam and help ensure convenient stays for overseas Koreans in Vietnam and second-generation South Korea-Vietnam families. I also promised to continue working to enhance the rights and interests of Vietnamese workers and marriage immigrants in South Korea.
Finally, the two leaders also exchanged broad views on ways to promote peace and stability in the region, including the Korean Peninsula.
I explained our vision for a Korean Peninsula where North and South coexist peacefully and grow together. General Secretary To Lam highly valued our government’s sincere will to resume dialogue and cooperation and said he will contribute to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.
Our two countries will also communicate closely and expand cooperation on the international stage, including at the United Nations.
Our government will faithfully implement the cooperation measures agreed with General Secretary To Lam today and further develop the comprehensive strategic partnership between our two countries.
Once again, I express my deep gratitude for the hospitality of General Secretary To Lam and the people of Vietnam.
Thank you.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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