The Republic of Korea's President Moon Jae-in and his spouse (Source: Embassy of the Republic of Korea)Hanoi (VNA) – President Moon Jae-in of the Republic of Korea (RoK) hassaid he intends to further deepen friendship and trust with the Vietnameseleadership to lift the strategic cooperative partnership between the RoK andVietnam to a new height during his upcoming State visit to Vietnam.
ThePresident revealed his intention in a written interview granted to Vietnam NewsAgency before he, together with his spouse, is making a State visit to Vietnam fromMarch 22-24 at the invitation of President Tran Dai Quang.
Theinterview dealt with a wide range of issues, including the relations of the twocountries and measures to bolster it and matters relating to peace on theKorean peninsula.
Thefollowing is the full text of the interview:
- Mr.President, what is the significance of your state visit to Vietnam this time?
RoK President Moon Jae-in: I am very pleasedto visit Vietnam again just four months after I went to Da Nang to attend theAPEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting. This is also my first overseas trip thisyear.
Immediately after taking office lastMay, I sent a special presidential envoy to ASEAN member states, including Vietnam.I was the first RoK President to do so. At that time, the RoK delegation led bythe envoy was warmly welcomed by General Secretary of the Central Committee ofthe Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong, President Tran Dai Quang andPrime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.
I met with Prime Minister Phuc on thesidelines of the G20 Summit last July and President Quang during my stay in DaNang last November to attend the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting. Through thesetwo occasions, we had extensive in-depth discussions on ways to further deepenfriendship and cooperation between our two countries.
I have met with the Vietnameseleadership so often because Korea-Vietnam relations are very special.
Since the establishment of diplomaticties in 1992, the RoK and Vietnam have worked together to achieve remarkableprogress on all fronts, including politics, the economy, culture andpeople-to-people exchanges. Especially since 2009, our two nations haveintensified and advanced our strategic cooperative partnership.
Building on historic and culturalsimilarities and complementary economic structures, our two countries havedeveloped a level of bilateral cooperation that can set an example for theworld.
[RoK President’s Vietnam visit expected to tighten bilateral ties]
Bilateral trade surged after theKorea-Vietnam FTA came into effect at the end of 2015, reaching 63.9 billionUSD in 2017. Vietnam has now emerged as the RoK’s fourth largest tradingpartner while the RoK has become Vietnam’s second biggest trading partner.
In addition, the RoK is the largestinvestor in Vietnam with an accumulated investment amount of 57.9 billion USD.Vietnam is a crucial investment destination for the RoK, which is evidenced bythe fact that more than half of Korean businesses (some 5,500 out of about8,600) operating in the ASEAN region have a presence in the country.
At the same time, Vietnam is the RoK’sprimary Official Development Assistance partner (ODA), and the RoK is thesecond largest ODA provider for Vietnam. Over the past 30 years, a variety ofdevelopment cooperation projects totaling 1.65 billion USD have been carriedout in Vietnam.
Moreover, Vietnam has the most people-to-peopleexchanges with the RoK among ASEAN member states. In 2017, approximately 2.7million visitors traveled back and forth between our two countries. There areroughly 170,000 Vietnamese nationals residing in the RoK while some 150,000Koreans are staying in Vietnam.
As such, Vietnam is a key partner andinvaluable friend for the RoK. Through my state visit this time, I intend tofurther deepen friendship and trust with the Vietnamese leadership. Based onthis, I hope to elevate our strategic cooperative partnership a step higher.
In addition, I hope our two nationswill be able to respond effectively to the Fourth Industrial Revolution, one ofthe most-talked-about issues across the globe, and create future growth enginestogether, thereby laying a solid groundwork for building mutually complementary, future-oriented cooperative ties.
Furthermore, I plan to meet withVietnamese business leaders, people from Korean-Vietnamese bicultural familiesand ordinary Vietnamese citizens during my visit, with a view to expandingcommon ground between our two peoples and further cementing our friendship.
At the RoK-ASEAN Summit held inNovember last year, I unveiled a vision of creating a future RoK-ASEANcommunity and spoke of my determination to comprehensively upgrade cooperationwith ASEAN member states. My visit this time will serve as a chance to lay outa blueprint for the development of the future RoK-ASEAN community through RoK-Vietnamcooperation that will make exemplary progress in all aspects.
- Mr. President, will youplease explain in detail your initiative of the New Southern Policy announcedat the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in November 2017?
RoK President Moon Jae-in: I have a firmconviction that the RoK and ASEAN can make an optimal partnership that can workto achieve growth and carve out the future. It does not simply mean economicgrowth.
Approximately 500,000 people from ASEANlive in the RoK, and some 300,000 Koreans reside in ASEAN member states.
With economic cooperation deepeningfurther and people-to-people exchanges becoming more vibrant between the RoKand ASEAN countries, it is more important than anything else to forge astronger connection among the peoples of the two regions.
For this reason, I gave high priorityin diplomacy to relations with ASEAN after I took office and later announcedthe New Southern Policy in an effort to upgrade RoK-ASEAN ties in all sectors.I envisage a peace-loving, people-centered community where all people prospertogether in both the RoK and ASEAN.
First and foremost, I intend to pursuecooperation focusing on people. My governing philosophy of “people first” andASEAN’s pursuit of a people-oriented, people-centered community seem to share acommon goal. The RoK-ASEAN partnership will eventually evolve into a forumparticipated in by the peoples of the both sides, and based on mutualunderstanding and support.
Importantly, the RoK Government willtake interest in promoting capacity building in ASEAN and increasing RoK-ASEANmutual interaction, continuing to channel its efforts into expanding varioustraining programs in the RoK and improving the visa issuance process. At thesame time, we will continue to work to widen exchanges among youngpeople, the ones who will take responsibility for the future of RoK-ASEANrelations.
Second, I will pursue continuedexpansion and progress of cooperation between the RoK and ASEAN in a way tobenefit all people in the region through mutually beneficial cooperation topromote common prosperity.
For the sustainability of cooperation,it is critical for all countries concerned and their peoples to make progresstogether. We have to establish a framework of mutual prosperity so that the RoK's development accelerates the progress of ASEAN, which in turn reinforces the advancement of the RoK.
As the free flow of people and goodsover borders constitutes a basis for economic prosperity, the RoK will expandits contributions to promote connectivity in ASEAN and creating an ASEANCommunity.
Third, a focus has to be placed oncreating a peaceful community where public safety is guaranteed.
Currently, the Asian region is facingvarious conventional and non-conventional threats, including the DemocraticPeople’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s nuclear and missile programs, terrorism,violent extremism and cyber attacks. None of these threats can be addressed bythe efforts of a single country alone.
To ensure that the peoples of the RoK andother ASEAN member countries can go about their everyday lives in safety, the RoKGovernment will enhance cooperation with the government of each ASEAN countryat both bilateral and multilateral levels.
Vietnam is a key partner for the RoKGovernment in pushing its New Southern Policy. This partnership iswell-evidenced in such sectors as trade, investment and people-to-people exchanges.
I hope my visit this time will serve asa crucial milestone in promoting the future-oriented progress of ties between our two nations and building a peace-loving,people-centered community where all people prosper together in the region.
Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang (R) meets with RoK President Moon Jae-in on the sidelines of the APEC Economic Leaders' Week in Da Nang city in November 2017 (Photo: VNA)
- In which directions wouldyou steer Korea-Vietnam economic cooperation in the years to come?
RoK President Moon Jae-in: The two key phrases that I have in relation to economic cooperation between ourtwo nations are "mutually beneficial cooperation" and"cooperation for common future growth."
When it comes to mutually beneficialcooperation, I am convinced that economic cooperation between two nations canonly be sustainable when both parties enjoy the benefits. I will pursueeconomic cooperation between our two nations in a mutually beneficial way thatcontributes to our common prosperity.
Last year saw bilateral trade amount to 63.9 billion USD, an increase of more than 40 percent in one year, and thus,the RoK became Vietnam's second largest trading partner while Vietnam emergedas the RoK's fourth largest trading partner.
The realization of the goal of increasingbilateral trade to 100 billion USD by 2020 is making smooth headway, andcurrently, economic cooperation remains brisk as demonstrated by the fact that theRoK emerged as the largest investor in Vietnam with investments amounting to 57.9billion USD.
The RoK Government will strive toaddress trade imbalance between our two nations through cooperation in theparts and materials industry and automobile industry, which is being pushed formutually beneficial enhancement of industrial capabilities, as well as throughvarious cooperative projects aimed at strengthening Vietnam's competence in theexport of agro-fishery products.
In addition, it is very importantfor our two countries to make joint endeavors to prepare for the FourthIndustrial Revolution and create future growth engines. I hope bilateralcooperation in new industries such as the Smart City and ICT will strengthenthe foundation to promote future-oriented economic cooperation between our twonations.
During my upcoming visit, I am planningto attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the Vietnam-Korea Institute ofScience and Technology (VKIST), which I think is a fine example of "mutuallybeneficial cooperation" and "cooperation for common futuregrowth."
The Korea Institute of Science andTechnology (KIST), the model of the VKIST, was founded 50 years ago in linewith the RoK Government's initiative to invest foreign aid funds in its futureby nurturing science and technology, including industrial technology, insteadof securing food to address the immediate hunger of the people. Since then, theinstitute has served as a cradle of science and technology education, fosteringnumerous talented individuals who contributed to the development of thecountry's key strategic industries such as automobiles, electronics and heavy and chemical industries. It has thus worked as a driving force behind theRoK’s industrialization and economic development. I hope the groundbreaking forVKIST this time will be remembered as a historic occasion that marks a crucialmilestone in Vietnam's development into a modern industrialized state.
The RoK will continue to seek ways topromote mutually beneficial cooperation that can make contributions toVietnam's plan to build a modern industrialized state by 2020.
- Congratulations on the RoK's successful hosting of the PyeongChang WinterOlympics. In consideration of the recent feat of Vietnam's national under-23football team, which is led by Korean head coach Park Hang-seo, do you have any vision for cooperation in sports between the RoK and Vietnam?
RoK President Moon Jae-in: The PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games came to a successfulclose as a festival of peace and harmony of all peoples with the participationof the largest number of athletes ever for the Winter Games. It served as achance to realize once again the potential of sports to connect people andinspire their passions.
One Malaysian Olympic figure skater wasknown to have begun dreaming of competing in the Olympics by participating inthe Dream Program, which is sponsored by the RoK. Envisioning a Vietnameseathlete participating in the Winter Olympics in four years, the RoK will worktogether with Vietnam to this end.
I would like to take this opportunityto wholeheartedly congratulate Vietnam's national under-23 football team on finishingsecond under the direction of head coach Park Hang-seo in the 2018 AFC U-23 Championship in late January. I am pleased by the factthat the feat symbolically demonstrated the "Korea-Vietnam Magic"that anything can be achieved if the RoK and Vietnam join forces togetherthrough sports.
Atthe Rio 2016 Olympic Summer Games, Hoang Xuan Vinh, a sports shooter, accomplished the feat of winning the very firstOlympic gold medal for Vietnam under the direction of his coach Park Chung-gun.Now members of the Vietnamese national teams in seven different disciplines,including soccer and shooting, are training hard under the guidance of Koreancoaches. I hope they will enjoy even better results in the months to come.
The RoKGovernment intends to continue expanding bilateral cooperation in sports tocreate yet more Korea-VietnamMagic. I hope the Vietnamese people will be able to fully feela growing sense of the friendship between the two countries, which is beingcemented every day through sports.
- What is your assessment of therole of people-to-people exchanges between the two countries, especially therole of businesses and residents, including students, in the othercountry?
RoK President Moon Jae-in: Among the ASEAN member states,Vietnam has the largest number of people-to-people exchanges with the RoK aswell as the largest number of Korean businesses in operation. The people andbusinesses involved in these bilateral exchanges and cooperation are acting asboth engine and bridge, making it possible for Vietnam and the RoK to build agenuine partnership.
Last year,the number of Vietnamese and Koreans visiting the other country surpassed 2.7million. Now around 150,000 Koreans reside in Vietnam, while about 170,000Vietnamese live in the RoK. In addition, Vietnam is the RoK’s biggestinvestment destination. Around 5,500 Korean businesses operate in Vietnam,strengthening our bilateral economic cooperation.
Most ofall, about 70,000 bicultural families in the RoK (which include many Vietnamesenationals) are connecting the peoples of our two countries as “one family through in-lawrelationships.” Moreover, I believe that they are invaluable assets that will lead thedevelopment of bilateral relations in the years to come.
I feeldelighted and reassured about the fact that young peoples of the two nations -the leaders of the future generation - are involved in cultural exchanges,including the spread of the Korean Wave, and are raising the level of mutualunderstanding, forming empathy and deepening friendship. I heard that thenumber of Vietnamese students studying in the RoK is rising rapidly, doublingfrom 7,000 in 2016 to 14,000 in 2017. Their areas of study are also becomingmore diverse.
I am verypleased with theincreasing number of Vietnamese students in the RoK and the continueddiversification of areas of their study. I intend to take an interest in theissue and provide necessary support for them so that they will grow into abulwark of the development of our bilateral partnership in the years to come.
A whileago, my wife invited Vietnamese students studying in the RoK to Cheong Wa Dae.She said she was proud of the students who were studying hard to gain knowledgeand technological expertise in various areas, dreaming of making contributionsnot only to their country but also to the development of the relationshipbetween our two countries.
I heardthat PresidentHo Chi Minh selected talented young individuals and sent themto study abroad even during difficult times. The students, who devotedthemselves to studying abroad by upholding the profound intention of Bac Ho,later returned to Vietnam and played significant roles in achieving thedevelopment of their country of today.
The fervorfor education, which makes it possible to take great interest in thedevelopment of the next generation and to spare no expense on it, is a virtuethat our two countries have traditionally maintained and developed. I believethat this fervor is also leading the mutual prosperity and development of our twocountries today and bringing their peoples ever closer.
- What is the KoreanGovernment’s plan for the peace and future of the Korean Peninsula?
RoK President Moon Jae-in: The RoK Governmentis doing all it can to open a new era of peace and prosperity on the KoreanPeninsula through the denuclearization of the DPRK. The DPRK’s nuclear andmissile programmes have impacted peace and security not only on the Peninsulaand in Northeast Asia but also in the entire world. The RoK Government has madeall-out efforts together with the international community, including Vietnam,to rally all resources to denuclearize the DPRKand establish a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.
As a result of these efforts, thefoundation for talks between the two Koreas and an improvement in inter-Koreanrelations was created through DPRK athletes’ participation in the PyeongChang2018 Olympic Winter Games in February, the formation of a united women’s icehockey team and high-level DPRK delegations’ visits to the RoK. Furthermore,this also created an atmosphere for dialogue between the DPRK and theinternational community, including the United States.
In early March, RoK special envoysvisited the DPRK and met with Kim Jong-un, the Chairman of the State AffairsCommission of the DPRK, and made an agreement to hold an inter-Korean summit inlate April. U.S. President Donald Trump also said he would meet the DPRK leaderby May, an indication of continued efforts and development for talks on theKorean Peninsula.
The RoK Government intends to carefullyuse this hard-won opportunity and make progress in a prudent and poised manner.My appreciation goes to the Vietnamese Government and people for so faractively supporting the RoK Government’s policy on the Korean Peninsula. I alsoask for constant interest and active support in the months to come.
- Thank you, Mr. President!
In addition, the RoK is the largestinvestor in Vietnam with an accumulated investment amount of 57.9 billion USD.Vietnam is a crucial investment destination for the RoK, which is evidenced bythe fact that more than half of Korean businesses (some 5,500 out of about8,600) operating in the ASEAN region have a presence in the country.
At the same time, Vietnam is the RoK’sprimary Official Development Assistance partner (ODA), and the RoK is thesecond largest ODA provider for Vietnam. Over the past 30 years, a variety ofdevelopment cooperation projects totaling 1.65 billion USD have been carriedout in Vietnam.
Moreover, Vietnam has the most people-to-peopleexchanges with the RoK among ASEAN member states. In 2017, approximately 2.7million visitors traveled back and forth between our two countries. There areroughly 170,000 Vietnamese nationals residing in the RoK while some 150,000Koreans are staying in Vietnam.
As such, Vietnam is a key partner andinvaluable friend for the RoK. Through my state visit this time, I intend tofurther deepen friendship and trust with the Vietnamese leadership. Based onthis, I hope to elevate our strategic cooperative partnership a step higher.
In addition, I hope our two nationswill be able to respond effectively to the Fourth Industrial Revolution, one ofthe most-talked-about issues across the globe, and create future growth enginestogether, thereby laying a solid groundwork for building mutually complementary, future-oriented cooperative ties.
Furthermore, I plan to meet withVietnamese business leaders, people from Korean-Vietnamese bicultural familiesand ordinary Vietnamese citizens during my visit, with a view to expandingcommon ground between our two peoples and further cementing our friendship.
At the RoK-ASEAN Summit held inNovember last year, I unveiled a vision of creating a future RoK-ASEANcommunity and spoke of my determination to comprehensively upgrade cooperationwith ASEAN member states. My visit this time will serve as a chance to lay outa blueprint for the development of the future RoK-ASEAN community through RoK-Vietnamcooperation that will make exemplary progress in all aspects.
- Mr. President, will youplease explain in detail your initiative of the New Southern Policy announcedat the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in November 2017?
RoK President Moon Jae-in: I have a firmconviction that the RoK and ASEAN can make an optimal partnership that can workto achieve growth and carve out the future. It does not simply mean economicgrowth.
Approximately 500,000 people from ASEANlive in the RoK, and some 300,000 Koreans reside in ASEAN member states.
With economic cooperation deepeningfurther and people-to-people exchanges becoming more vibrant between the RoKand ASEAN countries, it is more important than anything else to forge astronger connection among the peoples of the two regions.
For this reason, I gave high priorityin diplomacy to relations with ASEAN after I took office and later announcedthe New Southern Policy in an effort to upgrade RoK-ASEAN ties in all sectors.I envisage a peace-loving, people-centered community where all people prospertogether in both the RoK and ASEAN.
First and foremost, I intend to pursuecooperation focusing on people. My governing philosophy of “people first” andASEAN’s pursuit of a people-oriented, people-centered community seem to share acommon goal. The RoK-ASEAN partnership will eventually evolve into a forumparticipated in by the peoples of the both sides, and based on mutualunderstanding and support.
Importantly, the RoK Government willtake interest in promoting capacity building in ASEAN and increasing RoK-ASEANmutual interaction, continuing to channel its efforts into expanding varioustraining programs in the RoK and improving the visa issuance process. At thesame time, we will continue to work to widen exchanges among youngpeople, the ones who will take responsibility for the future of RoK-ASEANrelations.
Second, I will pursue continuedexpansion and progress of cooperation between the RoK and ASEAN in a way tobenefit all people in the region through mutually beneficial cooperation topromote common prosperity.
For the sustainability of cooperation,it is critical for all countries concerned and their peoples to make progresstogether. We have to establish a framework of mutual prosperity so that the RoK's development accelerates the progress of ASEAN, which in turn reinforces the advancement of the RoK.
As the free flow of people and goodsover borders constitutes a basis for economic prosperity, the RoK will expandits contributions to promote connectivity in ASEAN and creating an ASEANCommunity.
Third, a focus has to be placed oncreating a peaceful community where public safety is guaranteed.
Currently, the Asian region is facingvarious conventional and non-conventional threats, including the DemocraticPeople’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s nuclear and missile programs, terrorism,violent extremism and cyber attacks. None of these threats can be addressed bythe efforts of a single country alone.
To ensure that the peoples of the RoK andother ASEAN member countries can go about their everyday lives in safety, the RoKGovernment will enhance cooperation with the government of each ASEAN countryat both bilateral and multilateral levels.
Vietnam is a key partner for the RoKGovernment in pushing its New Southern Policy. This partnership iswell-evidenced in such sectors as trade, investment and people-to-people exchanges.
I hope my visit this time will serve asa crucial milestone in promoting the future-oriented progress of ties between our two nations and building a peace-loving,people-centered community where all people prosper together in the region.
Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang (R) meets with RoK President Moon Jae-in on the sidelines of the APEC Economic Leaders' Week in Da Nang city in November 2017 (Photo: VNA)- In which directions wouldyou steer Korea-Vietnam economic cooperation in the years to come?
RoK President Moon Jae-in: The two key phrases that I have in relation to economic cooperation between ourtwo nations are "mutually beneficial cooperation" and"cooperation for common future growth."
When it comes to mutually beneficialcooperation, I am convinced that economic cooperation between two nations canonly be sustainable when both parties enjoy the benefits. I will pursueeconomic cooperation between our two nations in a mutually beneficial way thatcontributes to our common prosperity.
Last year saw bilateral trade amount to 63.9 billion USD, an increase of more than 40 percent in one year, and thus,the RoK became Vietnam's second largest trading partner while Vietnam emergedas the RoK's fourth largest trading partner.
The realization of the goal of increasingbilateral trade to 100 billion USD by 2020 is making smooth headway, andcurrently, economic cooperation remains brisk as demonstrated by the fact that theRoK emerged as the largest investor in Vietnam with investments amounting to 57.9billion USD.
The RoK Government will strive toaddress trade imbalance between our two nations through cooperation in theparts and materials industry and automobile industry, which is being pushed formutually beneficial enhancement of industrial capabilities, as well as throughvarious cooperative projects aimed at strengthening Vietnam's competence in theexport of agro-fishery products.
In addition, it is very importantfor our two countries to make joint endeavors to prepare for the FourthIndustrial Revolution and create future growth engines. I hope bilateralcooperation in new industries such as the Smart City and ICT will strengthenthe foundation to promote future-oriented economic cooperation between our twonations.
During my upcoming visit, I am planningto attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the Vietnam-Korea Institute ofScience and Technology (VKIST), which I think is a fine example of "mutuallybeneficial cooperation" and "cooperation for common futuregrowth."
The Korea Institute of Science andTechnology (KIST), the model of the VKIST, was founded 50 years ago in linewith the RoK Government's initiative to invest foreign aid funds in its futureby nurturing science and technology, including industrial technology, insteadof securing food to address the immediate hunger of the people. Since then, theinstitute has served as a cradle of science and technology education, fosteringnumerous talented individuals who contributed to the development of thecountry's key strategic industries such as automobiles, electronics and heavy and chemical industries. It has thus worked as a driving force behind theRoK’s industrialization and economic development. I hope the groundbreaking forVKIST this time will be remembered as a historic occasion that marks a crucialmilestone in Vietnam's development into a modern industrialized state.
The RoK will continue to seek ways topromote mutually beneficial cooperation that can make contributions toVietnam's plan to build a modern industrialized state by 2020.
- Congratulations on the RoK's successful hosting of the PyeongChang WinterOlympics. In consideration of the recent feat of Vietnam's national under-23football team, which is led by Korean head coach Park Hang-seo, do you have any vision for cooperation in sports between the RoK and Vietnam?
RoK President Moon Jae-in: The PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games came to a successfulclose as a festival of peace and harmony of all peoples with the participationof the largest number of athletes ever for the Winter Games. It served as achance to realize once again the potential of sports to connect people andinspire their passions.
One Malaysian Olympic figure skater wasknown to have begun dreaming of competing in the Olympics by participating inthe Dream Program, which is sponsored by the RoK. Envisioning a Vietnameseathlete participating in the Winter Olympics in four years, the RoK will worktogether with Vietnam to this end.
I would like to take this opportunityto wholeheartedly congratulate Vietnam's national under-23 football team on finishingsecond under the direction of head coach Park Hang-seo in the 2018 AFC U-23 Championship in late January. I am pleased by the factthat the feat symbolically demonstrated the "Korea-Vietnam Magic"that anything can be achieved if the RoK and Vietnam join forces togetherthrough sports.
Atthe Rio 2016 Olympic Summer Games, Hoang Xuan Vinh, a sports shooter, accomplished the feat of winning the very firstOlympic gold medal for Vietnam under the direction of his coach Park Chung-gun.Now members of the Vietnamese national teams in seven different disciplines,including soccer and shooting, are training hard under the guidance of Koreancoaches. I hope they will enjoy even better results in the months to come.
The RoKGovernment intends to continue expanding bilateral cooperation in sports tocreate yet more Korea-VietnamMagic. I hope the Vietnamese people will be able to fully feela growing sense of the friendship between the two countries, which is beingcemented every day through sports.
- What is your assessment of therole of people-to-people exchanges between the two countries, especially therole of businesses and residents, including students, in the othercountry?
RoK President Moon Jae-in: Among the ASEAN member states,Vietnam has the largest number of people-to-people exchanges with the RoK aswell as the largest number of Korean businesses in operation. The people andbusinesses involved in these bilateral exchanges and cooperation are acting asboth engine and bridge, making it possible for Vietnam and the RoK to build agenuine partnership.
Last year,the number of Vietnamese and Koreans visiting the other country surpassed 2.7million. Now around 150,000 Koreans reside in Vietnam, while about 170,000Vietnamese live in the RoK. In addition, Vietnam is the RoK’s biggestinvestment destination. Around 5,500 Korean businesses operate in Vietnam,strengthening our bilateral economic cooperation.
Most ofall, about 70,000 bicultural families in the RoK (which include many Vietnamesenationals) are connecting the peoples of our two countries as “one family through in-lawrelationships.” Moreover, I believe that they are invaluable assets that will lead thedevelopment of bilateral relations in the years to come.
I feeldelighted and reassured about the fact that young peoples of the two nations -the leaders of the future generation - are involved in cultural exchanges,including the spread of the Korean Wave, and are raising the level of mutualunderstanding, forming empathy and deepening friendship. I heard that thenumber of Vietnamese students studying in the RoK is rising rapidly, doublingfrom 7,000 in 2016 to 14,000 in 2017. Their areas of study are also becomingmore diverse.
I am verypleased with theincreasing number of Vietnamese students in the RoK and the continueddiversification of areas of their study. I intend to take an interest in theissue and provide necessary support for them so that they will grow into abulwark of the development of our bilateral partnership in the years to come.
A whileago, my wife invited Vietnamese students studying in the RoK to Cheong Wa Dae.She said she was proud of the students who were studying hard to gain knowledgeand technological expertise in various areas, dreaming of making contributionsnot only to their country but also to the development of the relationshipbetween our two countries.
I heardthat PresidentHo Chi Minh selected talented young individuals and sent themto study abroad even during difficult times. The students, who devotedthemselves to studying abroad by upholding the profound intention of Bac Ho,later returned to Vietnam and played significant roles in achieving thedevelopment of their country of today.
The fervorfor education, which makes it possible to take great interest in thedevelopment of the next generation and to spare no expense on it, is a virtuethat our two countries have traditionally maintained and developed. I believethat this fervor is also leading the mutual prosperity and development of our twocountries today and bringing their peoples ever closer.
- What is the KoreanGovernment’s plan for the peace and future of the Korean Peninsula?
RoK President Moon Jae-in: The RoK Governmentis doing all it can to open a new era of peace and prosperity on the KoreanPeninsula through the denuclearization of the DPRK. The DPRK’s nuclear andmissile programmes have impacted peace and security not only on the Peninsulaand in Northeast Asia but also in the entire world. The RoK Government has madeall-out efforts together with the international community, including Vietnam,to rally all resources to denuclearize the DPRKand establish a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.
As a result of these efforts, thefoundation for talks between the two Koreas and an improvement in inter-Koreanrelations was created through DPRK athletes’ participation in the PyeongChang2018 Olympic Winter Games in February, the formation of a united women’s icehockey team and high-level DPRK delegations’ visits to the RoK. Furthermore,this also created an atmosphere for dialogue between the DPRK and theinternational community, including the United States.
In early March, RoK special envoysvisited the DPRK and met with Kim Jong-un, the Chairman of the State AffairsCommission of the DPRK, and made an agreement to hold an inter-Korean summit inlate April. U.S. President Donald Trump also said he would meet the DPRK leaderby May, an indication of continued efforts and development for talks on theKorean Peninsula.
The RoK Government intends to carefullyuse this hard-won opportunity and make progress in a prudent and poised manner.My appreciation goes to the Vietnamese Government and people for so faractively supporting the RoK Government’s policy on the Korean Peninsula. I alsoask for constant interest and active support in the months to come.
- Thank you, Mr. President!
VNA
