South Korea is willing to strengthen ties with Vietnam, focusing on hi-tech, innovation, transportation infrastructure, and energy, said South Korea’s national security adviser and diplomat on Tuesday.

Chang Ho-jin, a special advisor on foreign affairs and security to President Yoon Suk Yeol, expressed South Korea’s desire to expand cooperation with Vietnam during his meeting with Party General Secretary and State President of Vietnam To Lam in Hanoi.

Chang reaffirmed that South Korea considers Vietnam a key partner in its Strategy for a Free, Peaceful, and Prosperous Indo-Pacific region and in the Korea-ASEAN Solidarity Initiative.

He expressed appreciation for and agreement with the proposals put forward by Party chief and President Lam on enhancing cooperation between the two nations in the years to come.

He emphasized South Korea’s desire to be a reliable and strategic partner of Vietnam as the latter pursues its goal to become a high-income and developed country by 2045.

In addition to political and diplomatic cooperation, South Korea looks to strengthen and expand collaboration in various fields, such as hi-tech, innovation, transportation infrastructure, and energy.

Seoul also hopes to increase defense and security cooperation and coordinate on international issues of mutual concern.

Chang conveyed President Yoon’s invitation for Party leader and President Lam to visit South Korea soon.

In response, Lam praised the significance of Chang’s visit, which took place soon after his phone talks with President Yoon on September 3.

The top Vietnamese leader expressed his thanks for the invitation to visit South Korea and proposed that relevant agencies of both countries work together to arrange the visit at a suitable time.

Lam affirmed that Vietnam considers South Korea one of the top priority partners in its foreign policy.

He outlined several key areas to further enhance bilateral ties within the framework of the Vietnam-South Korea comprehensive strategic partnership.

The Party leader reiterated Vietnam's commitment to making active contributions to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.

The South Korean special envoy highlighted Seoul’s desire to promote long-term peace on the peninsula.

Regarding the East Vietnam Sea, both sides emphasized the importance of maintaining peace, stability, cooperation, and development, as well as respecting international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

In related news, Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son and Le Hoai Trung, Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and Chairman of its Commission for External Relations hosted separate receptions for Chang in Hanoi on Tuesday.

During their phone talks on September 3, President Lam and President Yoon agreed to work toward increasing bilateral trade to US$150 billion by 2030.

The head of the Vietnamese Party and state praised South Korean investors for their participation in major projects in the Southeast Asian country.

President Yoon underlined South Korea’s intention to boost imports of Vietnamese agricultural products.

While visiting Seoul National University during his official visit to South Korea in June this year, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh proposed that South Korea collaborate with Vietnam to develop large, symbolic projects that would further represent the strong ties between the two nations.

During his meeting with President Yoon in Laos on October 10, PM Chinh suggested that South Korea provide Vietnam with preferential loans to execute large-scale infrastructure projects such as railways and expressways.

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