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Democratic Party of Korea leader Kim Min-seok (left) shakes hands with Vietnamese National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man during their meeting at the National Assembly on the 7th. / Yonhap

Democratic Party of Korea leader Kim Min-seok met with Vietnamese National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man at the National Assembly on the 7th, stating, "I will do my utmost to ensure that relations between South Korea and Vietnam develop even further."

Meeting with Chairman Man, who is on a visit to South Korea, at the party leader's office in the National Assembly that afternoon, Kim said, "South Korea and Vietnam are enjoying their best relationship in history. Vietnam has become South Korea's third-largest trading partner, and last year alone, more than 5 million Koreans visited Vietnam, while over 500,000 Vietnamese citizens visited South Korea."

He added, "The two countries have forged such close ties that it feels natural to call each other 'one family.' I continue to pay close attention to ensure smooth progress on the 52 memoranda of understanding (MOUs) signed when I met General Secretary To Lam during my time as prime minister."

In response, Chairman Man said, "Vietnam places great importance on its diplomatic relations with South Korea and wishes to strengthen them further. We stand ready to work closely to advance our comprehensive strategic partnership to an even higher level."

Calling for deeper bilateral economic cooperation, Chairman Man added, "Please continue your efforts so that the Democratic Party, in cooperation with the South Korean government, can help reach our bilateral trade target of 100 billion dollars by the end of this year and 150 billion dollars by 2030."

In particular, he requested, "Please encourage South Korean companies to expand investments in areas Vietnam prioritizes, such as infrastructure development, smart cities, the semiconductor industry, large-scale AI data centers, nuclear power generation, and smart ports." In response to the request for expanded investment, Kim said, "If there are ongoing matters concerning South Korean companies' investments in Vietnam, the Democratic Party will look into whether we can assist or collaborate with keen interest."

                                                                                                              Shim Jun-bo