General Secretary To Lam holds talks with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung

General Secretary To Lam holds talks with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung - Photo 1.

Affirming that Vietnam is a very important country in the region, President Lee Jae Myung emphasized that South Korea is ready to stand alongside Vietnam in its future development - Photo: VNA

President Lee Jae Myung warmly welcomed General Secretary To Lam and his wife, along with the high-level Vietnamese delegation, on their state visit to South Korea, and as the first foreign guests after the new South Korean government took office; affirming that South Korea always considers Vietnam a key partner in implementing its foreign policies in the region.

President Lee Jae Myung emphasized that General Secretary To Lam's first visit to South Korea in his capacity as Vietnam's highest-ranking leader is of special significance, creating a strong impetus to enhance mutual understanding, consolidate political trust, and further promote and deepen the South Korea-Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in the next phase.

Congratulating Vietnam on its significant development achievements and its increasingly high international standing and prestige, President Lee Jae Myung expressed his admiration for the great country of Vietnam and its great, resilient people in the struggle for national liberation; he expressed confidence that the Vietnamese people will continue to achieve new miracles in national development and, under the leadership of General Secretary To Lam, Vietnam will soon become a developed nation and a center of the region.

Affirming that Vietnam is an extremely important country in the region, President Lee Jae Myung emphasized that South Korea is ready to stand alongside Vietnam in its future development.

General Secretary To Lam holds talks with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung - Photo 2.

General Secretary To Lam affirmed that Vietnam consistently attaches great importance to its relationship with South Korea in its foreign policy and wishes to work with South Korea to guide the cooperative relationship between the two countries to continue to make new, substantive, effective, and sustainable progress in all fields. - Photo: VNA

General Secretary To Lam sincerely thanked President Lee Jae Myung, the Government and people of South Korea for the warm, friendly and thoughtful reception; he appreciated President Lee Jae Myung's invitation to the General Secretary and his wife and the high-level Vietnamese delegation to visit South Korea immediately after his election, demonstrating South Korea's high regard and priority for Vietnam as well as the Vietnam-South Korea Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

The General Secretary expressed confidence that President Lee Jae Myung would lead South Korea to continue creating new "miracles on the Han River" in the future; affirmed that Vietnam consistently values its relationship with South Korea in its foreign policy and hopes to work with President Lee Jae Myung and other South Korean leaders to guide the cooperative relationship between the two countries to continue to make new, substantive, effective, and sustainable progress in all fields, commensurate with the highest level of diplomatic relations that the two sides have established.

In a cordial and friendly atmosphere, the two leaders exchanged views on the overall and strategic situation in each country and Vietnam-Korea relations. Both sides expressed pleasure at the remarkable development and many outstanding achievements of Vietnam-Korea relations over the past 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, especially since the two countries upgraded their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and jointly implemented an action plan to carry out this highest level of diplomatic framework.

President Lee Jae Myung shared and agreed with General Secretary To Lam's opinion that Vietnam and South Korea have very favorable strategic conditions to strengthen political trust, work together to improve the effectiveness of substantive cooperation in various fields, complement each other's strengths, and develop and grow together in the new era of the two nations.

General Secretary To Lam and President Lee Jae Myung agreed to continue to firmly consolidate political trust and strengthen strategic coordination in key areas of diplomacy, defense, and security; expand cooperation through all channels of the Party, State, Government, Parliament, and people-to-people exchanges, creating a foundation to promote and expand bilateral cooperation in all fields.

General Secretary To Lam holds talks with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung - Photo 3.

General Secretary To Lam and President Lee Jae Myung agreed to continue to firmly consolidate political trust, promote coordination in key areas; expand cooperation through all channels of the Party, State, Government, Parliament, people-to-people exchanges, and broaden bilateral cooperation in all fields - Photo: VNA

The two leaders agreed to direct the agencies and localities of both countries to coordinate effectively in implementing cooperation agreements between the two countries, especially the "Action Program for the Implementation of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and South Korea".

The leaders of the two countries shared a common view on jointly shaping and implementing a new strategic vision for Vietnam-Korea economic linkages, shifting from market-based cooperation to cooperation in developing production chains and high-quality human resources; from extensive to intensive development, prioritizing quality, efficiency, sustainability, enhancing innovation capacity, and long-term sustainable development benefits; and elevating Vietnam-Korea economic linkages to a new level, in line with the needs and interests of both countries in the current context.

Both sides agreed to continue facilitating trade and opening markets for each other's goods; supporting the enhancement of capacity for Vietnamese businesses to participate more deeply in the global supply chains of Korean businesses, thereby achieving the goal of reaching $150 billion in bilateral trade by 2030.

The two leaders agreed to elevate scientific and technological cooperation to become a pillar and a new highlight in bilateral relations, so that Vietnam can strive to become a value-creating partner with South Korea in science, technology, and innovation.

General Secretary To Lam affirmed that Vietnam is ready to create favorable conditions for large Korean enterprises to expand their investment scale in Vietnam, prioritizing areas where Korea has strengths and which are consistent with Vietnam's new development orientation, such as infrastructure development, high-tech electronics manufacturing, semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI), renewable energy, and smart cities.

President Lee Jae Myung expressed his hope that Vietnam would pay attention to and support Korean businesses in expanding, improving business efficiency, and making long-term investments in Vietnam, as well as supporting Korean businesses in participating in key Vietnamese projects. He emphasized that Korea continues to consider Vietnam a crucial strategic partner in development cooperation and committed to further expanding ODA support for areas of interest to Vietnam, such as infrastructure, research and development, and climate change response.

The South Korean president affirmed that the quota would be increased and the range of industries accepting Vietnamese workers would be expanded.

General Secretary To Lam holds talks with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung - Photo 4.

General Secretary To Lam held a private meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung - Photo: VNA

Both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in culture, education, and people-to-people exchanges so that, in the journey of shared development, humanistic exchanges will not only be the glue that binds them together but also the strategic foundation for the partnership between the two countries.

General Secretary To Lam proposed that South Korea share its experience in developing the cultural and entertainment industries, cooperate in the early establishment of a Vietnamese Cultural Center in South Korea; and strengthen cooperation between Vietnamese educational institutions and leading Korean universities and businesses to create high-quality human resources suitable for the development orientations of both sides.

Delighted that 5 million tourists from both countries will visit each other in 2024, the two leaders expressed their desire to further strengthen tourism cooperation. President Lee Jae Myung agreed to continue promoting friendly relations and substantive cooperation between localities of the two countries, and to closely coordinate in protecting the legitimate rights of citizens of each country in the other.

During the talks, General Secretary To Lam and President Lee Jae Myung exchanged views on international and regional issues of mutual concern; shared the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea, ensuring legitimate rights and interests in accordance with international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982); and affirmed that progress in inter-Korean relations and the establishment of lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula are essential for the peace and prosperity not only of the Korean Peninsula but also of the international community.

Immediately after the talks, General Secretary To Lam and President Lee Jae Myung witnessed the exchange of 10 cooperation documents between ministries, departments, and agencies of the two countries in the fields of defense, security, economy, trade, labor, culture, etc.

Following the signing of cooperation documents, the top leaders of the two countries met with the press to inform them about the results of the high-level talks.

General Secretary To Lam holds talks with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung - Photo 5.