Seoul (VNA) – The upcoming state visitto the Republic of Korea (RoK) by Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc will bea big breakthrough in the relationship between the two countries, Minister ofForeign Affairs of the RoK Park Jin has affirmed.

President Phuc and a high-ranking delegation willpay a state visit to the RoK from December 4-6 at theinvitation of RoK President Yoon Suk-yeol.

In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency ahead of the visit, FM Park said he expects that the two Presidents will discuss and agree on neworientations for the bilateral ties on this occasion.  

The minister stressed that ASEAN has been identifiedas the most important region in the RoK’s Indo-Pacific strategy, and Vietnam isa very important partner of the East Asian nation. 
 
Park expressed his hope that the ASEAN-RoKSolidarity Initiative will be concretised and materialised via cooperation betweenVietnam and the RoK in the time ahead.  

The minister pointed to the reciprocal economicstructures and similarities in history and culture between the two countries asthe foundation for their collaboration, adding that Vietnam is the RoK’s fourthlargest trade partner while the RoK is the third biggest trade partner of theSoutheast Asian nation.

The two-way trade exceeded 80 billion USD in 2021, up about 160 times as compared with the figure in 1992when the two countries established diplomatic ties, he said, regarding this as arare breakthrough in the bilateral relationship.

More than 8,000 Korean firms are operating andinvesting in Vietnam, the minister continued, pledging that the RoK Government will further support Vietnam’s development.

Pointing to challenges caused by the COVID-19pandemic and uncertainties in the global supply chain, he suggested the twocountries work together to overcome them.

In the context of economic security cooperation to stabilise and restore supply chains playing an increasingly important role, it is time for Vietnam and the RoK to further boost theireconomic links, he stressed.

In particular, both the RoK and Vietnam are engaging in discussions about the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) there will be plenty of opportunities for cooperation, he said, noting his belief that the two countries willstep up cooperation in the future to create economic standards in the region.

He also suggested the two countries cooperate inmining and expand collaboration in renewable energy, because Vietnam has many important minerals including rare earth and at the same time is leading in renewable energy. 

As the two countries are working to advance theirrelations, high-level dialogue channels will be stepped up and more supportwill be provided for Korean investors in Vietnam to expand collaboration indigital technology, renewable energy and high-tech between the two countries,he said.

With more than 150,000 Koreans living in Vietnam andover 200,000 Vietnamese in the RoK, the two countries should work to restoreand expand people-to-people exchanges after the pandemic.

He called for greater efforts to make Vietnamese andKoreans, especially young generations, understand more about each other, sayingcultural exchanges will be enhanced through digital platforms.

Recalling his visit to Vietnam last October, the minister saidwhat he saw in Vietnam reflect its potential for stable development despitedifficulties caused by the pandemic.

According to the official, during his meetings withPresident Phuc, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and FM Bui Thanh Son, the twosides discussed cooperation formats to tighten the partnership in the timeahead.

It is time for the two countries to come closer together and build a stronger mutually beneficial cooperation and partnership, he said./.