I extend my sincere gratitude to General Secretary To Lam and the people of Viet Nam for the gracious invitation extended to me and my delegation, and for the warm hospitality we have received.

Last year, following the inauguration of the Republic of Korea’s new administration, General Secretary To Lam visited Korea as our first state guest.

This time, I am honored to visit Viet Nam as the first state guest since its new leadership took office. This is a special moment that reflects the closeness of the relationship between our two countries.

I am also pleased to witness firsthand Viet Nam’s dynamic progress achieved under the leadership of General Secretary To Lam.

Viet Nam is the Republic of Korea’s third-largest partner in trade and investment, and Korea is Viet Nam’s largest foreign investor.

Approximately 10,000 Korean businesses are active in a wide range of sectors in Viet Nam, including petrochemicals, shipbuilding, steel and electronics. This attests to our highly integrated economic partnership.

Korea is an ideal partner for realizing Viet Nam’s vision of becoming a developed, high-income country by 2045, and both countries are advancing comprehensive cooperation across various fields – ranging from hardware sectors such as logistics, transportation, energy and infrastructure to such futureoriented areas as science and technology, intellectual property and the creative industries.

During our summit today, we agreed to further strengthen our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

Allow me to outline the key outcomes of today’s summit.

First, our two countries agreed to further advance mutually beneficial cooperation in trade and investment with the aim of achieving US$150 billion in bilateral trade by 2030.

We broke new ground by agreeing to allow mutual exports of heat-treated poultry products. With the signing today of the MOU on Cooperation in Animal Health and Quarantine, we also agreed to accelerate our cooperation on the promotion of trade in agricultural and livestock products.

I once again extend my sincere gratitude to General Secretary To Lam for recognizing the important role played by Korean companies in Viet Nam, and for his pledge to make every possible effort to provide them with a stable and predictable business environment.

Second, building upon our two nations’ profound mutual trust, we agreed to deepen our strategic cooperation in the fields of energy and infrastructure.

We two leaders concurred that bilateral cooperation has become even more important amid the supply chain instability stemming from recent volatility in the Middle East. To this end, we agreed to work closely together to bolster energy security and stabilize global supply chains.

Tomorrow, a contract will be signed on the export of Korean rolling stock for the Ho Chi Minh City Metro. I look forward to this agreement contributing to the improvement of Viet Nam’s railway infrastructure and serving as a catalyst for expanding bilateral cooperation on large-scale transport and logistics infrastructure projects currently underway in the country.

Furthermore, we agreed to maintain close coordination to create numerous model cases of bilateral infrastructure cooperation through Viet Nam’s new city and airport projects, which form a part of its national development vision.

Third, we agreed to further expand cooperation in future-oriented areas ranging from science and technology to climate action and environment, as well as culture and education.

I conveyed my full support for the science and technology development policies that General Secretary To Lam is promoting, and I underscored that Korea will actively contribute to such efforts.

Guided by the Master Plan on Science, Technology Innovation Cooperation, our two countries agreed to strengthen cooperation in joint research across key sectors – including semiconductors, rechargeable batteries and biohealth – as well as in supporting the cultivation of research talent.

The MOU on Digital Cooperation concluded on this occasion will expand bilateral cooperation in artificial intelligence, semiconductors and various digital sectors, while also facilitating Korean IT companies’ entry into the Vietnamese market.

Moreover, our two countries concluded the MOU on Cooperation for Water Security in the interest of preventing floods and promoting water security in the face of climate change. We also agreed to work together with Viet Nam – a nation with strong potential in the creative industries – to deepen cultural cooperation, including in the media sector, and to expand Korean language education in Viet Nam.

Fourth, we agreed to cooperate closely to ensure that our citizens – including members of multicultural families – can reside safely and securely in one another’s country and to advance their rights and interests.

Viet Nam is the second-most-popular overseas destination for Koreans, with around 4.5 million Koreans visiting each year.

It stands as the leading partner in international marriages for Koreans, with over 100,000 multicultural families uniting our two nations through kinship, and making Viet Nam a country of in-laws. It is also home to the largest Korean community in ASEAN.

General Secretary To Lam pledged to ensure the safety of Korean nationals visiting Viet Nam and to support the comfortable stay and residence of Koreans and second-generation Korean Vietnamese living in Viet Nam. In turn, I reaffirmed Korea’s commitment to enhancing the rights and interests of Vietnamese workers and immigrant spouses in Korea.

Finally, we two leaders engaged in a wide-ranging exchange of views on ways to promote peace and stability in the region, including on the Korean Peninsula.

I conveyed our government's vision for building a Korean Peninsula defined by peaceful coexistence and shared prosperity. General Secretary To Lam expressed a high regard for our government’s sincere commitment to resuming dialogue and cooperation with North Korea and pledged to contribute to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.

Our two countries also agreed to continue close coordination and to further expand cooperation in the international arena, including at the United Nations.

The Korean government will faithfully implement the cooperative measures agreed upon today with General Secretary To Lam, while further deepening and expanding our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

Once again, I extend my deepest gratitude to General Secretary To Lam and the people of Viet Nam for their warm hospitality.

Xin cam on. (Thank you.)