President Lee Meets Korean Community in Vietnam: "Toward a More Future-Oriented, Strategic Partnership"... Expanding Nuclear Power and Infrastructure Cooperation

Luncheon Meeting with Korean Community in Vietnam

"Vietnam, Our Third-Largest Trading Partner and a Key Ally for Comprehensive Cooperation"

"Shared Experience Overcoming Foreign Intervention and Division...Swift Resolution for Korean Communi

"Through this state visit to Vietnam, we aim to further develop our current top-level cooperative relationship into a more future-oriented and strategic partnership."

President Lee Jaemyung, who is on a state visit to Vietnam, expressed his commitment to strengthening Korea-Vietnam cooperation at a luncheon meeting with overseas Koreans held in Hanoi on the 22nd (local time). During his visit, President Lee plans to meet with Vietnam's leadership, including General Secretary To Lam, who also serves as President, to expand cooperation in strategic areas such as nuclear power, infrastructure, and science and technology innovation. He also plans to deepen collaboration on global challenges, including supply chain stability, sustainable growth, and climate change response.

President Lee Jae-myung, who is on a state visit to Vietnam, is delivering a greeting speech at a meeting with overseas Koreans held at a hotel in Hanoi on the 22nd (local time). Photo by Yonhap News

President Lee said, "I am truly honored to meet you as the first event of my visit to Vietnam," adding, "Korea and Vietnam have much in common—the experience of foreign intervention and ultimately overcoming it with our own strength, the suffering from division and war, and the process of standing tall again after overcoming those hardships." He then mentioned the emotional bonds and exchanges between the peoples of the two countries, evaluating, "Thanks to these ties and exchanges, we have achieved tremendous progress in just one generation since establishing diplomatic relations in 1992."

President Lee also presented specific figures about the bilateral relationship. "Each country is among the other's top three trading partners," he said. "Last year, bilateral trade reached 94.6 billion dollars, and Korea is the largest investor in Vietnam, with 10,000 Korean companies operating locally." He added, "On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2022, our relationship was elevated to a comprehensive strategic partnership, making us key partners cooperating in all areas across the board."

In particular, President Lee pointed out that last year, General Secretary To Lam of the Communist Party of Vietnam was the first foreign leader to make a state visit to Korea after the new Korean administration was launched, and that he himself is the first to pay a state visit to Vietnam since the inauguration of Vietnam's new leadership. He remarked, "Just this alone shows the special relationship between Vietnam and Korea, doesn't it?"

President Lee also mentioned Vietnamese football. He said, "Don't Vietnamese people love football just as much as Koreans?" referring to Kim Sang-sik, head coach of the Vietnam national football team, and introduced, "Recently, the Vietnamese football team achieved 13 consecutive wins, the first for a Southeast Asian team, and entered the top 100 in the FIFA men's world rankings at 99th place." President Lee then added with a smile, "I myself was once the owner of a football club and tried to make it successful, but I ended up being put on trial for a strange accusation," and continued, "Football has the great power to unite our members as one body and one heart."

President Lee also shared his expectations for the Vietnamese Korean community, which numbers around 200,000. He said, "The Vietnamese Korean community, which has grown to about 200,000 people, is the largest in ASEAN and the fifth largest in the world," and praised, "From cultural and sports figures, expatriate employees, small business owners, young entrepreneurs, students, to senior overseas Koreans, the sweat and dedication of all of you have built today's solid Vietnam-Korea relationship." He also evaluated, "The 100,000 multicultural families between Korea and Vietnam are a precious foundation linking our two countries by blood."

He then expressed his intention to support the Vietnamese Korean community. President Lee said, "Our government, based on popular sovereignty, will do its utmost to carefully address and promptly resolve the difficulties faced by overseas multicultural Korean families," adding, "We will listen attentively to the voices of the Vietnamese Korean community and provide thorough support." He also mentioned that about 1,400 proposals had been received from Korean communities around the world, with common requests including support for Korean language schools, visa issues, improvements to consular and embassy services, and support for Korean textbooks.

President Lee Jae-myung and First Lady Kim Hye-kyung, who are on a state visit to Vietnam, are receiving a bouquet of flowers from Hwa-dong at a Korean community meeting held at a hotel in Hanoi on the 22nd (local time). Photo by Yonhap News

Earlier, Yang Mose, President of the Korean Association in Hanoi, expressed anticipation in his welcome speech for President Lee's state visit, calling it "a meaningful milestone to reflect on the path Korea and Vietnam have walked together and to map out our future direction together." Yang stated, "Since establishing diplomatic ties in 1992, bilateral trade has grown approximately 180 times in just over 30 years, Korea has become one of Vietnam's largest investors, and five million people from both countries visit each other annually." He added, "Now, the two countries are planning their future together as comprehensive strategic partners, extending beyond the economy into culture, education, and security."

Yang continued, "Every Korean resident present here is a valuable protagonist representing the Republic of Korea in their own way," and requested, "We ask for warm interest and policy support for the legal protection of overseas Koreans, support for children's education, and improvement of the local business environment." He also emphasized, "Koreans living abroad are not simply Koreans residing overseas, but are precious assets who enhance Korea's national prestige and expand its economic territory," expressing hope that the President's state visit would mark a new leap forward in Korea-Vietnam relations.

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