Seoul (VNA) – Prime Minister of theRepublic of Korea (RoK) Lee Nak-yon and Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister TruongHoa Binh expressed their pleasure at the growing strategic cooperativepartnership between the two countries during their meeting in Seoul on November21.

The two sides exchanged specific measures to enhancepolitical trust and cooperative relations in the coming time via maintaininghigh-level delegation exchanges and implementing effectively existingcooperation mechanisms and dialogues such as the Vietnam-RoK strategic dialogueon diplomacy, security and defense, and the bilateral free trade agreement toincrease two-way trade to 100 billion USD by 2020.

They agreed to beef up cooperation in other fieldssuch as culture, education, tourism, labour, and people-to-people exchangeswhile actively supporting and ensuring safety and legitimate rights forcitizens in the respective countries, and enhancing coordination atmultilateral forums.

Deputy PM Truong Hoa Binh thanked the RoK’s Governmentfor providing one million USD to support flood victims in the central part ofVietnam.

He welcomed Korean businesses to increase investmentsin Vietnam in high technology, environmental protection, processing andmanufacturing industry, support industry, renewable energy, infrastructuredevelopment, and hi-tech agriculture.

Binh invited Korean firms to involve in the process ofequitising State-owned enterprises, restructuring commercial banks, anddeveloping special administrative-economic zones in Vietnam.

He proposed the RoK facilitate the entry of Vietnamesestrong products to the market, especially agro-forestry-fishery products, aswell as support Vietnam to join the RoK’s global supply chains and providenon-refundable aid packages for technical assistance, human resources training,agricultural and rural development, and energy safety.

The official urged the two countries to soon sign asupport agreement in civil affairs and trade and extending a Memorandum ofUnderstanding (MoU) on supplying and receiving Vietnamese workers to the RoKunder the Employment Permit System (EPS), which will be invalid in May 2018.

He asked the RoK to apply visa exemption and make iteasier for Vietnamese tourists to enter the RoK in addition to increasingdirect flights between the two countries. He suggested enhancing coordinationin regional and international affairs of mutual concerns, especially keepingpeace and stability in the Asian-Pacific region.

Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon spoke highly of the twocountries’ relations after 25 years of establishing diplomatic ties. Hestressed that the RoK’s Government attaches great importance to developingstrategic cooperative partnership with Vietnam and will direct all relevantministries and departments to implement effectively the bilateral cooperationagreements.

The same day, Deputy PM Truong Hoa Binh receivedPresident of the RoK-Vietnam Friendship Association Choi Young-joo, duringwhich he proposed the association continue coordinating with the Vietnam-RoKFriendship Association and the Vietnamese Embassy in the RoK to promote the twocountries’ cooperation, especially in economics and people-to-people exchanges.

He later met with representatives from the RoK’sleading businesses, including the SK Group, the KB Financial Group, and theMaeil Business Newspaper.-VNA