South Korea Says Lee’s Vietnam Trip Deepens Energy, Infrastructure Cooperation

The presidential office said Thursday (local time) that President Lee Jae-myung’s state visit to Vietnam produced agreement to upgrade cooperation in areas including infrastructure and energy.
 
National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said at a briefing at a press center in Hanoi that Lee and To Lam, Vietnam’s Communist Party general secretary and state president, shared the view at their summit the previous day that the two countries are each other’s most reliable partners in driving development.
  ​​​​​​​Wi said the trip expanded exchanges into future-oriented areas and helped raise the quality of bilateral cooperation.
 
To Lam was reported to have welcomed participation by South Korean companies in Vietnam’s energy transition, including nuclear power plant construction.
 
Asked about specific projects such as the Ninh Thuan nuclear power plant project in central Vietnam, Wi said discussions remain at an early stage and both sides are reviewing feasibility and risks.
 
Doosan Enerbility was reported to have signed an MOU with two Vietnamese state-owned companies to cooperate on nuclear power projects.
 
The leaders also discussed supply chains for critical minerals. Wi noted Vietnam ranks fifth to sixth globally in rare earth reserves and said the two sides would broaden cooperation through efforts such as a “Korea-Vietnam Critical Minerals Supply Chain Technology Cooperation Center.”
 
On defense industry cooperation, Wi said there were no “overwhelming” results, but the two sides agreed to explore expanding technology cooperation, joint production and joint development.
 
Wi said the leaders also exchanged views on international affairs, including the Iran war.
 
He said both sides recognized that supply chains have faced disruptions and that Vietnam is also experiencing difficulties related to oil, adding that the two countries would pursue ways to support each other on such issues.
 
Wi said the leaders agreed to strengthen joint efforts for peace and prosperity in the international community and shared the view that peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula serves the common interest of the international community.