South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has named an assistant foreign minister as South Korea’s new ambassador to Vietnam, according to the South Korean Embassy in Vietnam.

Choi Young-sam, the assistant in charge of political affairs to South Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin, received a letter of credence from the President in Seoul on Wednesday to become the country’s new ambassador to Vietnam.

The new ambassador, who used to be a spokesman for the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has had many years of experience in East Asian affairs.

Choi replaced his predecessor Oh Young Ju, the first female Korean ambassador to Vietnam, who ended his tenure at the end of June and has been promoted to second deputy foreign minister.

Vietnam and South Korea established diplomatic relations in 1992 and the bilateral relations have since developed fruitfully.

The two countries upgraded their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership in December 2022.

In June 2023, President Yoon paid a state visit to Vietnam, which was his first visit to a Southeast Asian country since taking office, demonstrating South Korea’s respect for Vietnam.

Vietnam is now South Korea’s third largest trading partner, after the world's two leading economies, the U.S. and China.

Leaders of Vietnam and South Korea have set a target to increase two-way trade to US$100 billion this year, about $13 billion higher than 2022.

As of the end of May 2023, the northeast Asian country topped the list of foreign investors in Vietnam, with 9,666 projects worth over US$81.5 billion, according to official figures.   

South Korean businesses have been operating effectively in Vietnam, contributing to strengthening the relationship between the two countries. 

According to estimates by the Korean Business Association in Vietnam, South Korean companies are operating in all 63 provinces and cities of Vietnam.

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