Deputy PM Le Minh Khai holds talks with RoK counterpart Hong Nam-ki

The two Deputy PMs agreed to maintain close cooperation and contacts at the high level to boost ties across the fields. They agreed to early resume the dialogue mechanism at deputy prime ministerial level with a meeting in Hanoi in June next year.

The two officials consented on measures to bolster cooperation between the two countries in the time ahead, including holding joint activities to mark the 30th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties, taking actions to raise bilateral trade to 100 billion USD in 2023 and 150 billion USD in 2030, promoting RoK investment in diverse fields in Vietnam, expanding ODA scale for Vietnam with fewer binding conditions for capital access, and enhancing links in finance-banking.

Khai took the occasion to thank the RoK Government for providing Vietnam with medical supplies, including nearly 1.4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine, and suggested the two countries work together in developing and transferring production technologies of vaccine and drugs not only for COVID-19 but also other diseases.

He asked the RoK to early resume labour cooperation with Vietnam, and said Vietnam will soon consider allowing RoK financial and banking organisations to expand operations in Vietnam.

Deputy PM Hong Nam-ki thanked Vietnam for supporting RoK enterprises, especially amid the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and asked the country to facilitate entry of staff members of Korean businesses so that the businesses cam maintain operations. Earlier on December 13, Deputy PM Khai had a meeting with Korea Development Bank (KDB) Chairman Lee Dong-gull, who expressed his wish that the Vietnamese Government early consider allowing the KDB to open a branch in Vietnam so that the bank can better participate in Vietnam’s development process.