Pres. Park, Ho Chi Minh City vow to further cooperation, exchange

During her visit to Ho Chi Minh City

Secretary Hai extended his appreciation to President Park for her choice of Vietnam as her first destination in the Southeast Asian region.

Noting a joint statement adopted after successful discussions between the Korean President and Vietnamese leaders, Secretary Hai expressed hopes that the statement would serve as a catalyst for further advancing bilateral relations.

President Park responded by saying that she was pleased to visit Ho Chi Min City, a hub of Vietnam's business activities and a representative symbol of Korea- Vietnam economic exchanges. She thanked the Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee and the Mayor, both of whom had visited Korea before, for their interest in and endeavors for cooperation with Korea by providing support for Korean businesses in the city and forging sister relationships with local cities in Korea.

President Park said that she looked forward to their continuous support so that Korean businesses and employees in Ho Chi Minh City would be able to contribute to the economic and social progress of Vietnam.

Then she said that the shift of focus of Korean business investments in Vietnam to cutting-edge industries from the light industries of the early days was encouraging. She added that the very large number of business leaders who were accompanying her delegation on the state visit to Vietnam, demonstrated Korea's great interest in bolstering economic ties with Vietnam. In this connection, she asked the Vietnamese authorities to work closely together to tackle obstacles facing Korean businesses so that they could make continued investments and contribute to the enhancement of the economic relations between the two nations.

In response, the Secretary said that he would pay particular attention to resolving four major difficulties facing Korean businesses and seek solutions through close consultation.
With regards to matters that go beyond the discretionary authority of the city, the Secretary said he would propose possible solutions to the central government. Such efforts to address obstacles would go a long way toward building a trust-based relationship between the two nations, he added.

During his remarks at the working luncheon that followed the meeting, Secretary Hai gave a positive assessment of the progress in bilateral relations over the 20 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties and the four years since the establishment of the strategic and cooperative partnership, across such varied sectors as the economy, development assistance and cultural exchanges. He said that he hoped President Park's state visit to Vietnam would be an opportunity to reaffirm the commitment of the two countries' leaders to continued cooperation for the goal of shared prosperity.

President Park, during her own remarks, commented on the tremendous potential for growth in the bilateral relationship in light of the similarities in the culture and values of the two countries as well as the complementary structures of their economies. She also expressed hopes that, with the success of the last 20 years as a basis, the relationship would see further development. (Courtesy of Cheong Wa Dae) k