Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính and Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Vietnam Choi Young Sam. — VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang

HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính held a working session with Ambassador of the Republic of Korea (RoK) to Việt Nam Choi Young Sam to reinforce the outcomes of recent high-level talks and advance bilateral cooperation agreements.

The session aimed to concretise the content of the phone discussions between Party General Secretary and President Tô Lâm and RoK President Yoon Suk Yeol, while also reviewing the implementation of agreements made during PM Chính's recent visit to the RoK.

The PM asked the ambassador to actively coordinate with relevant Vietnamese and Korean agencies to implement the 41 cooperation documents signed by the two countries’ Governments, businesses, and localities during his visit.

He stressed the importance of fostering political trust and enhancing high-level exchanges across Party, Government, and parliamentary channels, with a focus on substantive cooperation in diplomacy, national defence-security, and economic areas.

To meet the two-way trade goals of US$100 billion by 2025 and US$150 billion by 2030, PM Chính urged for effective measures to ensure balanced and sustainable trade. He welcomed the RoK's decision to permit the import of fresh Vietnamese pomelo and encouraged the promotion of other Vietnamese agricultural and animal products in the Korean market. He also requested an accelerated removal of import quotas on Vietnamese shrimp and measures to strengthen the capacity of Vietnamese firms to integrate more deeply into the global supply chain, especially within the ecosystem of Korean companies.

PM Chính encouraged Korean businesses to expand their investments in Việt Nam, particularly in digital transformation, green economy, high technology, semiconductor manufacturing, biotechnology, and smart city development. He also called for increased cooperation in small and medium-sized enterprises, startups, and human resources training in high technology, digital transformation, semiconductors, and artificial intelligence (AI).

Furthermore, PM Chính requested the RoK to consider providing a substantial credit package with favourable interest rates for strategic infrastructure development in Việt Nam, particularly for major transportation projects such as high-speed railway and large-scale urban railway systems.

The PM proposed expanding cooperation through specific projects in areas such as science and technology, climate change mitigation, labour, tourism, cultural and people-to-people exchanges, especially protecting the legitimate rights and interests of Vietnamese nationals in the RoK and Koreans in Việt Nam.

On regional and global issues, the Vietnamese Prime Minister emphasised the importance of close cooperation and mutual support at multilateral forums, particularly within the ASEAN-RoK framework and the Mekong-RoK mechanism. He also encouraged the RoK to support a shared vision of ensuring security, safety, and freedom of navigation and overflight in the East Sea (internationally known as South China Sea), maintaining a peaceful and stable environment, and resolving disputes through peaceful means in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Ambassador Choi confirmed that the RoK is actively working to implement high-level agreements and prepare for upcoming high-level visits by leaders from both countries. He noted that the RoK is ready to support Việt Nam in hosting the fourth Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 Summit and is considering the opening of a Vietnamese Consulate General in Busan.

He highlighted ongoing efforts to raise two-way trade to the targeted levels, finalise agreements on mutual recognition of priority enterprises, and negotiate the import of additional agricultural and seafood products from both countries each year, with Vietnamese lychee and passion fruit expected to enter the Korean market soon.

Ambassador Choi said that the RoK seeks to extend cooperation, investment, and business activities in Việt Nam across finance, pharmaceuticals, environmental protection, energy, minerals, strategic infrastructure, labour, and employment. The Korean Ambassador also expressed hope that Việt Nam would ensure the necessary infrastructure, mechanisms, and policies to facilitate stable and effective operations of Korean enterprises. — VNS