Lee Jae-myung, the president, on the 22nd (local time) held a summit with To Lam, the party general secretary and state president of Vietnam, and said, "Since establishing diplomatic ties in 1992, Korea and Vietnam have developed the best cooperative relationship in many areas, including politics, the economy, and people-to-people exchanges in just 34 years," adding, "I hope the peoples, corporations, and governments of both countries will join forces to turn the quantitative achievements into qualitative ones and move together toward a future of sustainable, shared prosperity."
The president said this in opening remarks at the Korea-Vietnam summit held that afternoon at the Vietnamese presidential palace.
The president said, "About 5 million people from the two countries visit each other every year, and exchanges are expanding by the day in virtually all fields, including culture, education, and the environment," adding, "The two countries are each other's three largest trading partners, Korea is Vietnam's largest investor, and more than 10,000 Korean corporations have advanced into Vietnam, contributing to the two countries' economic growth and Vietnam's industrial development."
He went on to emphasize, "I hope the two countries will pursue mutually beneficial cooperation not only in trade and investment but also in energy security, transportation infrastructure, science and technology, and education and culture, and produce tangible outcomes that the peoples and corporations of both countries can feel."
In opening remarks, General Secretary Lam said, "The president's visit most clearly and definitively shows the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, which is based on strong, effective and high trust."
General Secretary Lam said, "In pursuing an independent and creative multilateral diplomatic policy and an active and comprehensive international peace, Vietnam has always valued its relationship with Korea and hopes to cooperate with Korea for practical, effective, and long-term development of bilateral ties in all fields," adding, "I am ready to have in-depth discussions with the president on major measures to deepen the Vietnam-Korea comprehensive strategic partnership as well as regional and international issues of mutual concern."
The joint press announcement focused mainly on cooperation in energy and infrastructure. The president said, "Tomorrow, a contract will be signed for Korea's export of rail cars for Ho Chi Minh City's urban railway in Vietnam," adding, "I hope this contract will contribute to improving Vietnam's rail infrastructure, and I expect it will lead to expanded cooperation between the two countries in Vietnam's large-scale transportation and logistics infrastructure projects under way."
The president then said, "General Secretary To Lam said he would support the safety of our people visiting Vietnam, as well as convenient stays for our overseas Koreans in Vietnam and second-generation Korean-Vietnamese," adding, "I will also continue efforts to improve the rights and interests of Vietnamese workers and marriage migrants in Korea."
That day, Korea and Vietnam signed 12 memorandums of understanding (MOUs) to strengthen cooperation in various fields, including nuclear power. Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) and Vietnam Electricity signed an "MOU on reviewing the potential for cooperation in nuclear power development," and KEPCO, the Export-Import Bank of Korea, and the Korea Trade Insurance Corporation separately adopted an "MOU on reviewing potential financial cooperation for nuclear power projects" with Vietnam Electricity.
In addition, MOUs were signed on cooperation in power infrastructure, digital cooperation, and cooperation in science, technology and innovation. The Ministry of Intellectual Property and the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) signed an "MOU on deepening cooperation in intellectual property" for trademark data exchange and joint responses to counterfeit damages, and the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety and the Vietnamese Ministry of Health signed an "MOU on the safety of food, drugs, cosmetics, and medical devices" to expand cooperation in areas such as medical product development driven by AI innovation.