President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday voiced hope for stronger security cooperation with Vietnam to ensure a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific region and for the expansion of bilateral ties in the defense industry, a Vietnamese news agency said.
Yoon made the remarks during an interview with the Vietnam News Agency ahead of his state visit to the Southeast Asian country from Thursday through Saturday.
“I intend to strengthen security cooperation with Vietnam, so a rules-based order will be able to take firm root in the Indo-Pacific region. South Korea will continue to cooperate with Vietnam in maritime security,” Yoon was quoted as saying by the agency.
Pointing to three decades since the establishment of bilateral diplomatic ties, Yoon said the two nations have built “an exemplary, mutually beneficial partnership on all fronts” and it is time to develop a more “more qualitative, future-oriented” relationship.
Last year, the two sides agreed to upgrade their relations to a “comprehensive strategic partnership.”
“I hope that cooperation in the defense industry will be further expanded based on South Korea’s technological prowess, which has a proven track record in the global market,” he added.
Yoon stressed the need to expand their cooperation beyond the manufacturing sector to cover broader fields, such as finance, information technology, culture and service sectors.
While in Vietnam, he plans to announce a new grant aid project meant to bolster Vietnam’s science and technology capabilities, according to the news agency.
“No less important is to work together for such future agendas as carbon neutrality by 2050 and the digital transformation. I hope that our two countries’ future generations will become key actors for such future agendas,” Yoon said.
In Vietnam, Yoon will hold a summit with Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong on Friday and discuss ways to deepen the bilateral ties, according to his office.
He is scheduled to hold separate talks with Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Vuong Dinh Hue, chairman of Vietnam’s National Assembly, and also attend a state dinner.
Yoon is now in Paris as the first leg of his two-nation tour to promote the country’s bid to host the 2030 World Expo in the southeastern city of Busan.
Source: Yonhap News Agency