PM Dung to Attend ASEAN-RoK Submit and Visit Seoul

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung will arrive in Jeju Island, South Korea on June 1-2 to take part in a submit to mark the 20 year partnership between the Republic of Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and pay a visit to the country by the way, the communist party said on its website on May 19.

 

Speaking at a Hanoi press briefing to introduce the event, South Korean Ambassador to Vietnam Im Hong Jae highlighted Vietnam’s important role in boosting the relationship between his country and the ASEAN bloc.

 

This will be also a significant moment for the two parties to review bilateral cooperative achievements over the past two decades and work out a vision for the next-20-year period, the ambassador said.

 

It is also an opportunity for the two sides to put together the details of a so-called “New Asia Diplomacy” policy, announced by RoK President Lee Myung-bak, which called for enhancing bilateral cooperation with the RoK’s Asian neighbors.

 

The diplomat said South Korea would organize a series of activities on the sidelines to help enterprises seek out trade and investment contracts.

 

ASEAN is the RoK’s third largest trade partner, only after China and the European Union.

 

The bloc is also the North Asian nation’s second largest investor following China, with last year’s total investment reaching US$4.6 billion.

 

During the period 1989-2008, the RoK has committed itself to providing US$1.5 billion in ODA for ASEAN nations. (CPV, New Hanoi)