Seoul:<Text>

South Korea has secured approval to export heat-treated poultry food products to Vietnam, the government announced. This development allows for the export of processed poultry items, including ham, sausages, and samgyetang, a traditional Korean ginseng chicken soup, as confirmed by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the agreement was finalized during a bilateral summit between President Lee Jae Myung and To Lam, Vietnam's president and general secretary of the Communist Party, in Hanoi. Talks between the two countries had been ongoing since 2017 to facilitate the entry of Korean poultry-based processed foods into the Vietnamese market.

Initially, approval has been granted to two domestic processing facilities operated by Harim Co., South Korea's largest poultry-processing company, and CJ CheilJedang Co. The Vietnamese authorities have sanctioned these faci lities to commence exports. The South Korean government plans to engage in further consultations with Vietnam to expand the number of eligible exporters.

Vietnam, with its population exceeding 100 million, is a significant consumer market in Southeast Asia. Vietnam's meat market is estimated to be around US$11 billion. "The conclusion of export negotiations with Vietnam is a prime example of how the ministry's regulatory diplomacy and global food safety policies have translated into tangible export results," stated Food and Drug Safety Minister Oh Yu-kyoung.