SEOUL– National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo met with Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Tuesday and discussed improving bilateral cooperation.
During the meeting held at the National Assembly, Kim touted the close relationship between South Korea and Vietnam, saying bilateral trade increased 160-fold and people-to-people exchanges 2,400-fold in the past 30 years.
“South Korea is the No. 1 investor in Vietnam and Vietnam is our closest country for development cooperation,” Kim said, noting Phuc had put in efforts to enhance economic cooperation between the two countries when he was a prime minister.
Kim added Phuc’s visit to Seoul upgraded the Seoul-Hanoi ties to a “comprehensive strategic partnership” and opened a “new page” for the next 30 years of the relationship.
Phuc said the two countries have strong trust in each other and need to work to further advance the relationship by strengthening communication between their governments, parliaments and political parties.
Phuc also invited Kim to visit Vietnam and expressed gratitude for helping the Vietnamese victim of the deadly crowd crush that killed at least 158 people in Seoul’s Itaewon district on Oct. 29.
Phuc is currently on the second day of his three-day visit to South Korea to mark the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations this year.
On Monday, Phuc met with President Yoon Suk-yeol and agreed to establish a comprehensive, strategic partnership between the two countries.
Source: Yonhap News Agency