Minister Kang Kyung-wha to Hold Korea-Vietnam Foreign Ministers' Meeting on 18th... Likely to Discuss Opening of 'Fast Track'

First Case of Visiting Vietnam as Foreign Minister

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha will visit Vietnam on the 18th at the invitation of Pham Binh Minh, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Vietnam, to hold a foreign ministers' meeting. This marks the first official visit to Vietnam by a foreign minister amid the COVID-19 situation.

On the 15th, Kim In-cheol, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, explained at a regular briefing, "Minister Kang is the first foreign minister to officially visit Vietnam during the COVID-19 situation. At this foreign ministers' meeting, she plans to have in-depth discussions on cooperation in response to COVID-19, the development of the strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries, as well as regional and international affairs." Minister Kang has resumed face-to-face diplomacy, which was suspended due to the spread of COVID-19, starting with Germany last month.

Minister Kang is expected to actively proceed with consultations to establish a "fast track" system with Vietnam, where many Korean companies have entered. Vietnam mentioned the necessity of introducing the fast track system during a ministerial phone call between the two countries in July, but no tangible results have been achieved yet. Although exceptional entry has been allowed for Korean businesspeople, the border remains highly restrictive.

During this visit, Minister Kang is likely to exchange opinions on cooperation measures with Korea and request support for the stalled peace process on the Korean Peninsula. Meanwhile, it is known that Minister Kang considered stopping by Singapore on her way to Vietnam, but the plan did not materialize due to concerns over the spread of COVID-19.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.