Nguyen Duc Trung, deputy head of the Ministry of Planning and Investment

Nguyen Duc Trung, deputy head of the Ministry of Planning and Investment said, "Many agencies were assigned to prepare for the trip, including us. We co-operated with related parties and the police to review the enterprises and the members of the delegation."

Trung went on to say that it is the first time such an incident happened and they were aware of the severity.

They were also shocked by the incident and didn't have any indication about the motives of those involved.

"We'll take responsibility. We have reviewed the delegation member selection procedures and tighten regulations," he said. "If any officials made mistakes in this case, we'll punish them based on the legal situation."

When being asked why the names of the absorbed members are not publicised, Trung said the Vietnamese and South Korean authorities were still investigating the case so the ministry didn't have the authority to reveal the names yet. They would only announce the names when they had full information and permission.

On September 23, South Korean media reported that nine people who took the same flight with National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan’s visit to South Korea last year had disappeared. Two people were found and deported this year.

On September 25, National Assembly Secretary General Nguyen Hanh Phuc confirmed that the leaders were accompanied by a business delegation who attended the South Korea-Vietnam Trade and Investment Forum. 300 firms from Vietnam and South Korea attended the forum.

72 attendees off 44 firms were from Vietnam and the Ministry of Planning and Investment was responsible for selecting the members and organising the accommodation. Dtinews