Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Việt Nam Choi Young-sam. Photo courtesy of the Korean embassy in Hà Nội

The Republic of Korea will host the 2025 APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting from October 31 to November 1. On this occasion, the country's Ambassador to Việt Nam, Choi Young-sam, speaks to Việt Nam News reporter Nguyễn Khánh Chi, highlighting the event’s key messages, initiatives and discussions as well as the potential for Việt Nam and South Korea to deepen collaboration under the APEC framework.

First and foremost, South Korea has chosen the theme 'Building a Sustainable Tomorrow: Connect, Innovate, Prosper' for its year as APEC host. Could you please elaborate on this theme and the initiatives and priorities of the host country?

The 2025 APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting will be held in Gyeongju, Republic of Korea, from October 31 to November 1, 2025. Under the theme and priorities of 'Building a Sustainable Tomorrow: Connect, Innovate, Prosper,' APEC Leaders will chart a vision for shared prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region and explore ways to revitalise free trade, investment and economic cooperation amid today’s global uncertainties.

First, 'Connect' refers not only to advancing trade and investment within the Asia-Pacific region, but also to strengthening connectivity through physical, institutional and people-to-people exchanges. 'Innovate' represents the promotion of digital innovation through AI cooperation and efforts to bridge the digital divide, in line with Korea’s role as a digital powerhouse. Lastly, 'Prosper' embodies the pursuit of sustainable and inclusive growth across the Asia-Pacific through collective responses to pressing global issues such as energy and food security, as well as demographic shifts.

As Chair, Korea will put forward two key deliverables that address the transformative trends shaping the economic and social landscape of the region: 'AI Cooperation' and 'Responding to Demographic Shifts.' In the area of AI cooperation, Korea aims to set an APEC-wide direction for AI utilisation, focusing on strengthening AI capabilities and building a sustainable AI investment ecosystem. Meanwhile, in addressing demographic shifts, discussions will focus on specific APEC policy cooperation measures designed to turn demographic challenges into opportunities for future growth and innovation—such as establishing systems to respond to ageing societies, enhancing human resource mobility, and promoting innovation in healthcare and technology.

These topics constitute core agendas with wide-ranging implications for the economic and social landscape of the Asia-Pacific region. It is particularly meaningful that, for the first time, APEC Leaders will discuss and seek consensus on joint responses to these emerging challenges.

Please provide insights into APEC’s role as a platform for dialogue, cooperation and the development of practical solutions to shared regional and global challenges.

APEC, which accounts for about 61 per cent of global GDP and half of global trade, is the Asia-Pacific region’s largest economic cooperation forum. Since its establishment in 1989, APEC has served as an 'incubator of ideas' where member economies present diverse perspectives and build consensus through economic cooperation to achieve shared prosperity.

The 2025 APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting holds particular significance as it will take place at a time when geopolitical and geoeconomic uncertainties are intensifying. The gathering of 21 member economies—representing the core of the global economy—to discuss pathways for shared prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region is, in itself, highly symbolic.

At a time when the world is facing new challenges such as supply chain restructuring, energy security, and the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital transformation, APEC’s role as a platform for dialogue and cooperation to seek practical solutions is both timely and essential.

In addition, while APEC is fundamentally an intergovernmental forum, it has long emphasised private-sector participation and public–private partnerships. On the sidelines of this year’s Leaders’ Meeting, various business events—including the APEC CEO Summit—will also be held, providing a venue for both the public and private sectors to discuss ways to build a sustainable and prosperous future together.

In what areas do you see the greatest potential for Việt Nam and South Korea to deepen collaboration under the APEC framework—particularly in digital economy, green transition, and supply chain resilience?

The APEC Putrajaya Vision 2040 presents three key pillars—trade and investment, innovation and digitalisation, and inclusive and sustainable growth. This vision aligns closely with the direction of cooperation between Korea and Việt Nam.

In particular, during Việt Nam's Party General Secretary Tô Lâm’s state visit to Korea in August, the two countries agreed to broaden the horizon of their economic cooperation beyond trade and investment to encompass digital transformation, advanced science and technology, renewable energy, and critical minerals.

President Lương Cường will attend this year’s APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting. His participation will serve as an important opportunity to sustain the momentum of high-level exchanges between the two countries and to build on the achievements of General Secretary Tô Lâm’s visit, thereby further advancing bilateral relations.

Notably, Korea and Việt Nam can create great synergy when combining Korea’s technological expertise with Việt Nam’s highly skilled human resources in advanced industries such as AI, semiconductors, and data centres. The two countries also have strong potential for cooperation in renewable energy—including solar and wind power—to meet rapidly increasing electricity demand, as well as in power grid expansion and smart grid development.

Moreover, Korea and Việt Nam are strengthening their cooperation in critical minerals supply chains by combining Việt Nam’s abundant rare-earth resources with Korea’s advanced technologies. Collaboration in this field is expected to further expand through the Korea–Vietnam Critical Minerals Supply Chain Center, the establishment of which began earlier this year.

These are global challenges that cannot be addressed by any single country alone. By deepening their cooperation within the APEC framework, Korea and Việt Nam can play a leading role in tackling pressing global issues such as digital transformation, green growth, and supply chain resilience.

As Việt Nam is scheduled to host APEC 2027, how could our two countries cooperate to ensure the success of APEC Summits 2025 and 2027?

Việt Nam will assume the APEC chairmanship for the third time in 2027 in Phú Quốc, following Hà Nội in 2006 and Đà Nẵng in 2017. The fact that Việt Nam has taken on the APEC chairmanship roughly every decade clearly demonstrates the country’s significant contribution to peace and shared prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region.

During General Secretary Tô Lâm’s state visit to Korea last August, the two leaders agreed to continue close cooperation between the two countries in multilateral fora such as APEC. In addition, I attended the launching ceremony of the Vietnam National Committee for APEC 2027 at the end of July, where I extended my heartfelt congratulations on Việt Nam’s assumption of the 2027 chairmanship and conveyed Korea’s strong commitment to providing full support.

Korea and Việt Nam also share a history of close cooperation in APEC. When Korea chaired APEC in 2005 and Việt Nam in 2006, the two sides actively exchanged experiences in summit preparations, participated in discussions on key agendas and deliverables, and closely supported each other’s initiatives. This year as well, Việt Nam has been actively participating in various APEC ministerial meetings—including those on trade, finance, and food security—contributing to the achievement of tangible outcomes at the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting.

Việt Nam is also making a strong contribution to the success of this year’s APEC through private-sector engagement. In July, the 3rd APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) Meeting of 2025 was successfully held in Hải Phòng, with the participation of President Lương Cường. Moreover, leading Vietnamese companies such as SOVICO and Vietjet are expected to visit Gyeongju, Korea, to take part in APEC-related events.

As the APEC Chair in 2025, Korea will serve as part of the APEC Troika—together with China, the 2026 Chair, and Việt Nam, the 2027 Chair—and will spare no effort to share experiences and cooperate closely to help Việt Nam successfully host the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Phú Quốc in 2027. — VNS