The President's visit to Korea is of great significance in many aspects.

According to Ambassador Choi Youngsam, President Luong Cuong's working trip is extremely meaningful in both bilateral relations and regional cooperation within the APEC framework.

At the invitation of President of the Republic of Korea Lee Jae Myung, President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Luong Cuong will lead a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation to attend the 32nd Asia- Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit Week and hold bilateral meetings in the Republic of Korea from October 29 to November 1, 2025.

On this occasion, Korean Ambassador to Vietnam Choi Youngsam gave an interview to VNA reporters.

- How does the Ambassador assess the importance of the Vietnamese President's participation in this Summit for bilateral relations and regional cooperation within the APEC framework?

Ambassador Choi Youngsam: The APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting 2025 will be held from October 31 to November 1 in Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk Province. With the theme “Building a Sustainable Tomorrow: Connect, Innovate, Prosper,” this year's series of events is expected to discuss in-depth the vision for shared prosperity of the Asia- Pacific region and solutions to promote economic, trade and investment cooperation in the context of global uncertainty.

President Luong Cuong's working trip at this important time is extremely meaningful in terms of both bilateral relations and regional cooperation within the APEC framework.

First, in terms of bilateral relations, during General Secretary To Lam’s State visit to Korea last August – the first State visit since the new Korean government took office – the two countries agreed to further deepen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and expand cooperation to future-oriented areas such as high-tech science. Following that visit, President Luong Cuong’s participation in the APEC Summit Week this time will be an opportunity for both sides to review the achievements of General Secretary To Lam’s visit to Korea and promote the relationship to a new level.

Within the APEC framework, Vietnam’s participation is extremely important. Vietnam is demonstrating an important role in the growth and economic recovery of the Asia-Pacific region and the world as the 2027 APEC Chair, an important member of ASEAN and a dynamic emerging economy. I hope that Vietnam’s participation will add more energy to the discussions at the APEC Forum towards inclusive growth and substantive economic cooperation in the region, while strengthening cooperation among APEC member economies.

- After more than two years of establishing the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, how does the Ambassador assess the important achievements in Vietnam-Korea cooperation, especially in the fields of economy, investment, green transformation and digital transformation?

Ambassador Choi Youngsam: As each other's third largest trading partner, Vietnam and Korea are strengthening cooperation towards the goal of reaching a trade turnover of 150 billion USD by 2030. In addition, Korea is consolidating its position as Vietnam's largest investor, with more than 10,000 Korean enterprises contributing to job creation and Vietnam's rapid growth. Cooperation in the field of climate change response and green growth is also being expanded.

The two countries held the Joint Committee Meeting on the basis of the Framework Agreement on Climate Change Response between Vietnam and Korea signed in 2021 and are implementing the Greenhouse Emission Reduction Project.

Korean Ambassador to Vietnam Choi Youngsam. (Photo: Duong Giang/VNA)

During General Secretary To Lam’s visit to South Korea, the two sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in the field of renewable energy such as solar and wind power and expand the development of smart grids. Digital transformation is also becoming a focus of cooperation between the two countries.

Through the annual Vietnam-Korea Digital Forum and Vietnam Artificial Intelligence Day, the two countries can share policies, experiences, technologies and promote exchanges between businesses.

- Looking to the future, does Korea have any new initiatives or directions to strengthen comprehensive cooperation with Vietnam and further develop bilateral relations in the Asia-Pacific region?

Ambassador Choi Youngsam: The new Korean government under President Lee Jae Myung, which was launched last June, is aiming at the value of “practical diplomacy towards the world” and is making efforts to expand mutually beneficial cooperation with other countries, expand strategic diplomacy, and economic diplomacy. On this basis, General Secretary To Lam’s visit to Korea in August further strengthened mutually beneficial cooperation. I hope that President Luong Cuong’s visit to Korea to attend the APEC Summit Week will further consolidate this flow of cooperation.

Besides, the APEC 2025 Summit Week hosted by Korea is of great significance as it is held at a time when the world is facing many challenges such as supply chain recovery, energy security, artificial intelligence (AI) and digital transformation.

In particular, Korea is proposing “AI cooperation” and “responding to demographic change” as the focus of this year’s APEC. Through this, Korea will expand and deepen mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation with countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including Vietnam.

- Vietnam participates in APEC as an active and dynamic member. According to the Ambassador, how does Vietnam's participation and contribution at this Summit support regional economic cooperation and integration?

Ambassador Choi Youngsam: Vietnam will be the 2027 APEC Chair in Phu Quoc, after two successful years in this role in 2006 in Hanoi and 2017 in Da Nang. This is a testament to Vietnam's great contributions to peace and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region. Vietnam's participation and role in APEC are extremely important. This year, Vietnam also actively participated in the APEC Ministerial Meeting in many areas such as trade, finance, and food security.

The 3rd APEC Business Advisory Council meeting was successfully held in July in Hai Phong city with the participation of President Luong Cuong. In addition, typical Vietnamese enterprises are also expected to come to Gyeongju to attend APEC Week.

Vietnam is playing an important role in leading the economic growth and recovery of the Asia-Pacific region and the world. Even in the context of the world economy's continued instability, Vietnam's economic growth remains high. I hope that Vietnam's active participation and solid economic achievements will make an important contribution to the APEC Summit Week and further strengthen the cohesion in cooperation among member economies.

- Thank you very much, Ambassador Choi Youngsam!

(TTXVN/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/chuyen-cong-tac-han-quoc-cua-chu-tich-nuoc-co-y-nghia-to-lon-tren-nhieu-phuong-dien-post1073376.vnp