"Vietnam’s economic development experience could serve as a model for North Korea”
Chung Dong-young, Minister of Unification, met with Vietnamese Ambassador to South Korea Vu Ho on October 27, expressing hope that the stalled negotiations between North Korea and the United States in Hanoi could resume.
During the meeting at the Seoul Government Complex, Minister Chung emphasized that “North Korea, too, could follow a path of development similar to Vietnam by resolving its long-standing hostile relations with the U.S. and normalizing ties.”
In February 2019, U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un held their second summit in Hanoi, Vietnam, but the talks ended without a formal agreement.
Minister Chung noted that “despite suffering extensive damage and trauma during the war with the U.S., Vietnam achieved economic growth through normalized relations. Its experience could serve as an important model for North Korea.”
Both sides agreed to maintain close cooperation to promote peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia. Vietnam maintains diplomatic ties with both North and South Korea, and in August, Vuong Dinh Hue, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, became the first foreign leader to visit South Korea under the Lee Jae-myung administration. Two months later, he visited North Korea on a state visit to mark the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Workers’ Party of Korea.