National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan hailed contributions by Honorary Consul General of Vietnam in Busan-Gyeongnam region Park Soo-kwan to the Vietnam-Republic of Korea (RoK) ties while receiving him on December 4.

National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan (L) and Honorary Consul General of Vietnam in Busan-Gyeongnam region Park Soo-kwan

Thanking Park for helping arrange the delegation’s tour to Busan, Ngan said that her ongoing official visit to the RoK aims to continue deepening the bilateral strategic partnership in all fields, for the benefits of the two peoples.

Citing the fact that there are a lot of Vietnamese labourers and Vietnam-Korea multicultural families in Busan, she expressed her hope that the Honorary Consul General will help promote people-to-people exchanges, protect legitimate interests of Vietnamese citizens living in the city, particularly Vietnamese women who get married with Korean men, along with his efforts to boost bilateral cooperation in economics, trade, investment, tourism and education.

Welcoming the Vietnamese top legislator and accompanying delegates, Park Soo stated that the Busan-Gyeongnam region has over 300 enterprises investing in Vietnam and the number is getting bigger and bigger.

However, direct air routes connecting Busan and Ho Chi Minh City and the two countries at large have yet to meet the increasing demand for travelling of the two peoples, he added.

Agreeing with this proposal, Ngan stressed the need to increase flights between the two sides.

She also expressed her delight at the RoK’s decision to grant multiple entry visas valid for up to five years to Vietnamese citizens living in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and central Da Nang city.

Vietnam and the RoK established diplomatic ties on December 22, 1992. In August 2001, the two nations issued a joint statement on comprehensive partnership in the 21st century on the occasion of the RoK visit by Vietnamese President Tran Duc Luong. In October 2009, they boosted their relationship to strategic cooperative partnership level during the Vietnam visit by President Lee Myung-bak.

The two countries have contributed to forums and multilateral cooperation frameworks in the region and the world, while bilateral ties have been deepened via the regular exchange of high-level delegations.

Relations between the two legislatures have been nurtured bilaterally and multilaterally. During the RoK visit by Vietnamese NA Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung in July 2013, a cooperation deal between the two legislatures was signed.

NA Chairwoman: RoK visit aims to boost strategic cooperative partnership

National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan (L) and Busan Mayor Oh Keo-don 

National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan has said her visit to the Republic of Korea (RoK) aims to push forward the practical and effective development of bilateral strategic cooperative partnership. 

During a reception in Busan city on December 4 for its Mayor Oh Keo-don, Ngan said Vietnam attaches great importance to its ties with the RoK as the two countries share historical and cultural similarities. 

She stressed the need to promote ties between the two countries’ localities outside of governmental and parliamentary links. 

Lauding cooperative ties between Busan and Ho Chi Minh City over the past two decades, Ngan expressed her delight at the fact that one fourth of Korean investors in Vietnam come from Busan. 

The leader hailed the RoK as one of the top trade and investment partners of Vietnam, adding that Vietnam is interested in small- and medium-sized enterprises, wishing that more Busan businesspeople would invest in fields of Vietnam’s demand. 

According to Ngan, the number of Vietnamese people living and working in the RoK is equivalent to the total Korean population in Vietnam. As well as locality-to-locality cooperation, she called for stepping up people-to-people exchange. 

Expressing her thanks to Busan authorities for providing positive support for Vietnamese nationals in the locality, she hailed Busan for its preparations for the establishment of a support centre for Vietnam-RoK families. 

Along with refining legal regulations and creating a fair business environment for foreign firms, Vietnam also advocates a policy of protecting foreign citizens, including Koreans, in the country. 

Mayor Oh Keo-don, for his part, thanked the top Vietnamese legislator for choosing Busan as the first destination during her trip. He said that the Busan people love Vietnam and its people, and that there are many Vietnamese people living and working in the locality. 

He expressed his belief that Vietnam will further thrive and that both countries should partner up for mutual development.

VNA