Vietnam - Korea Joint Statement on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership

On the afternoon of December 5, at the Office of the President of the Republic of Korea, President Yoon Suk Yeol presided over a solemn welcoming ceremony for President Nguyen Xuan Phuc according to the highest protocol.

At the invitation of President Yoon Suk-yeol of the Republic of Korea, President Nguyen Xuan Phuc of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam paid a state visit to the Republic of Korea from December 4 to 6, 2022. During the visit, President Nguyen Xuan Phuc held talks with President Yoon Suk Yeol and met with senior leaders of the Republic of Korea. The senior leaders of the two countries highly appreciated the rapid and effective development of the bilateral relationship over the past 30 years, especially since the establishment of the "Strategic Cooperative Partnership" in 2009, and exchanged in-depth opinions on the direction of future development of the relationship and on regional and international issues of mutual concern.

This visit to Korea by President Nguyen Xuan Phuc takes place in the context of Vietnam and Korea solemnly celebrating the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations (December 12, 1992 - December 12, 2022). With confidence in the bright future of the bilateral relationship, President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and President Yoon Suk-yeol agreed to issue a Joint Statement on upgrading the relationship between Vietnam and Korea to the level of "Comprehensive Strategic Partnership", agreeing to strengthen exchanges and cooperation between the two countries in the following specific directions:

The development of Vietnam - Korea relations

1. The two sides highly appreciated the substantial, strong and comprehensive development of bilateral relations after 30 years of establishing diplomatic relations, especially after the establishment of the Strategic Cooperative Partnership in 2009, affirming that Vietnam and the Republic of Korea are each other's top important partners in all fields; agreed to continue close cooperation to bring benefits to the people of the two countries, contributing to peace, stability and prosperity in the region and the world. The Korean side affirmed the importance of Vietnam in implementing the Global Key Country Initiative, the Indo-Pacific Strategy for Freedom, Peace and Prosperity and the ASEAN-Korea Solidarity Initiative of the Republic of Korea.

Vietnam welcomes Korea to become a global country, playing an important role in the region and the world.

2. The two countries' senior leaders agreed that the active exchanges and contacts between the two countries' senior leaders in recent times have not only strengthened political trust between the two countries; but also greatly contributed to promoting cooperation in the fields of trade, investment, development cooperation, culture, tourism, promoting friendly exchanges between the two peoples; and enhancing cooperation in international and regional forums and on issues of mutual concern.

3. Building on the achievements in the development of relations over the past 30 years, in order to consolidate the foundation of mutually beneficial cooperation, the two sides agreed to contribute to maintaining peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world. On the occasion of the State visit to Korea by President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, the two countries' senior leaders announced the upgrading of bilateral relations to the level of "Comprehensive Strategic Partnership", through which the two countries will make joint efforts to develop cooperation in all fields to a new height.

4. In particular, the two countries' senior leaders highly appreciated the establishment and active operation of the Vietnam - Korea Group of Prestigious Figures on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations and the Group's completion of a report with many diverse proposals on developing bilateral relations towards the future.

Strengthening political and diplomatic cooperation as well as defense, security and public order

5. The two sides agreed to further promote visits and exchanges between high-ranking leaders of the two countries through flexible and diverse forms such as bilateral visits, meetings at multilateral conferences, online talks, and exchange of letters/telegrams. The high-ranking leaders of the two countries affirmed that strengthening and deepening the mechanisms of exchanges, dialogues and dialogues between the agencies of the Central Government and local authorities, between the National Assembly, political parties, organizations and social classes of the two countries is of great importance in promoting the development of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries; decided to expand and further develop the dialogue and cooperation mechanisms between the parties.

6. The two sides welcomed the signing of a new cooperation agreement by the two foreign ministries to promote substantive cooperation; agreed to continue to support and cooperate so that the diplomatic and consular representative agencies of the two countries can operate smoothly. The two countries' senior leaders agreed to consider measures to improve the effectiveness and develop the mechanism of the Deputy Foreign Minister-level Strategic Dialogue on diplomacy, security and defense with the participation of the two foreign ministries, defense and public security ministries.

7. The two sides agreed to continue to strengthen defense cooperation, effectively deploy cooperation mechanisms; increase delegation exchanges including the Deputy Ministerial Defense Strategic Dialogue, maritime security cooperation, technological cooperation, and promote cooperation in the fields of defense industry, education and training, thereby contributing to deepening the relationship and general cooperation between the two countries, contributing to peace, stability and development in the region and the world.

8. The two sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in the fields of security and police, continue to effectively implement cooperation mechanisms, dialogue and exchanges between government agencies. The leaders of the two countries also agreed to increase information sharing, coordinate assessment and forecasting on strategic issues related to the interests and national security of the two countries; expand and enrich the content of security and police cooperation, especially in crime prevention, training cooperation, capacity building and law enforcement; increase delegation exchanges at all levels, thereby helping to strengthen the cooperative relationship between the two sides to become increasingly deeper, more substantial and more effective. On the other hand, the two sides agreed to cooperate in the field of peacekeeping; step up coordination in propagating and disseminating the laws of the host country to citizens of the two countries to minimize law violations.

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc holds talks with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Expand and deepen economic, trade, investment and development cooperation

9. The two sides agreed to promote stable and balanced growth in bilateral trade turnover, maintain their position as each other's leading trade partners, and strive to increase two-way trade turnover to 100 billion USD by 2023, aiming for 150 billion USD by 2030; agreed to contribute to expanding economic linkages and free trade based on rules in the region through removing import regulations and enhancing cooperation in the field of tariffs, including the electronic exchange of certificates of origin on the basis of the Customs Mutual Assistance Agreement to effectively implement bilateral and multilateral economic cooperation mechanisms such as the Vietnam - Korea Bilateral Free Trade Agreement (VKFTA), the ASEAN - Korea Trade in Goods Agreement (AKFTA) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP).

10. The two sides agreed to strengthen investment cooperation, share information and experience in building mechanisms, policies and laws to promote investment activities for start-ups, innovation and creativity; promote cooperation in multilateral economic forums and mechanisms. Vietnam hopes that Korean enterprises will make new investments and expand their investment scale in the fields of electronics, renewable energy, infrastructure development, tourism, construction of specialized complexes, high-quality industrial - agricultural zones, green industrial zones, smart cities; and support Vietnamese enterprises to participate more deeply in the global supply chain. Korea affirmed that the development of the financial and banking sector is a necessary factor for the comprehensive development of the economy, and asked Vietnam to actively support Korean financial institutions to enter Vietnam, thereby supporting the expansion of investment by Korean enterprises in Vietnam. Vietnam acknowledged and will actively consider this issue.

11. The Vietnamese side highly appreciated the Korean Government's development assistance, which has made an important contribution to Vietnam's socio-economic development, and hoped that Korea would further expand its refundable and non-refundable aid to Vietnam. The Korean side affirmed that it will continue to consider Vietnam as a key partner in development cooperation with Korea, and said it will strengthen cooperation in key areas of cooperation between the two countries such as public administration, including e-government and education, water management, health care, transportation, and will continue to effectively implement the Financial Cooperation Agreement and the Framework Agreement on EDCF Fund credits. The two countries' senior leaders welcomed the signing of the Framework for refundable aid cooperation in the fields of transportation, health care, and climate change response by the Vietnamese Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Korean Ministry of Finance. In particular, they agreed to continue to strengthen cooperation in the fields of high-speed railways, light rail, and subways.

Cooperation on sustainable development, climate change response, agriculture and energy

12. The two countries' senior leaders shared the importance of maintaining cooperation for the goal of sustainable management of natural resources, including sustainable development, disaster risk reduction, greenhouse gas emission reduction, climate change adaptation, green transition and transboundary water resources management; sustainable management, conservation and protection of forest resources. The two countries' senior leaders highly appreciated the signing of the Framework Agreement on Climate Change Cooperation and the Joint Climate Change Cooperation Plan towards carbon neutrality by 2050 between the two governments in 2021, and agreed to cooperate to complete strategic tasks to adapt to climate change. The two countries' senior leaders agreed to continue to strengthen cooperation between the two countries in the forestry sector, such as the mangrove restoration project in Nam Dinh and Ninh Binh areas and cooperation through the Asian Forest Cooperation Organization (AFOCO).

13. The leaders of the two countries affirmed the importance of the agricultural sector in the national economy; agreed to expand development cooperation in the agricultural and rural sectors through enhancing the capacity of the agricultural and rural sectors; research and share experiences in improving the business environment of enterprises operating in the food and agricultural sectors; research and exchange experiences, and establish cooperation in high-tech agriculture and smart agriculture.

14. The two sides highly appreciated the participation of Korean enterprises in promoting the development of Vietnam's energy sector; agreed to strengthen cooperation in areas such as oil and gas exploration and exploitation, power plant construction, and cooperation in the field of safety and energy saving. The Korean side requested the Vietnamese side to support the smooth implementation of power projects in Vietnam that Korean enterprises are promoting to participate in, and the Vietnamese side agreed to actively consider this content.

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and President of South Korea Yoon Suk Yeol.

Cooperation in science, technology, information and communication

15. The two sides affirmed the role and importance of science and technology in the socio-economic development of each country, and agreed to promote scientific and technological cooperation in accordance with the sustainable development strategy of each country and the new international economic environment, especially the 4.0 industrial revolution and climate change response. The two sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in research on climate technology, biotechnology, nanotechnology, information technology; especially cooperation in research on climate change response technology and source technology of the 4.0 industrial revolution. The two countries' senior leaders agreed to make joint efforts so that the VKIST Institute, a symbol of cooperation in science and technology between the two countries, can operate successfully. The Korean side affirmed that it will continue to support the operation of VKIST in the coming time.

16. The two sides shared the awareness that in the context of digital technology transforming the socio-economic structure, greatly impacting the daily life of humanity, digital technology needs to contribute to promoting freedom, peace and prosperity of the two countries. Accordingly, the two sides agreed to promote information and communication cooperation in accordance with the sustainable development strategy of each country and the new international economic environment, promote cooperation in establishing a new digital order, digital transformation, information technology, information security and safety, digital platforms; cooperate in investment production and technology transfer in the field of information technology.

Cooperation in labor, health, education

17. The two countries' senior leaders assessed that labor cooperation has brought practical benefits to both sides; agreed to expand new areas and forms of labor cooperation. The two sides agreed to continue to strengthen coordination and support so that Vietnamese workers in Korea can work safely and healthily while complying with the laws of both countries, including the duration of stay. The Korean side committed to improving working and living conditions as well as protecting the rights and interests of Vietnamese workers. The Vietnamese side committed to creating favorable conditions in simplifying procedures for residence registration and granting work permits to Korean workers in Vietnam.

18. The two countries' senior leaders welcomed the signing of the revised Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the field of health and medicine by the two Ministries of Health; agreed to continue to strengthen cooperation in the health sector, especially disease control and prevention, cooperation in the application of information technology in the fields of disease prevention and control, medicine, vaccines, medical equipment, food safety, coping with population aging, health care as well as training of human resources and high skills for officials of the Ministry of Health. The Korean side suggested that when amending regulations, including regulations on bidding, the Vietnamese side would consider policies to have more Korean medical equipment used in Vietnam, and said that it would actively support the construction of a Center for Disease Control in Vietnam at the request of the Vietnamese side.

19. The two countries' senior leaders assessed that educational cooperation in recent times has contributed to promoting cooperation in the cultural and social fields between the two countries. The two countries' senior leaders agreed to continue expanding educational cooperation, and the two countries' Ministries of Education will periodically and effectively organize the Vietnam - Korea Human Resources Forum. Korea decided to support the compilation of Korean language textbooks for general education levels in Vietnam.

Infrastructure cooperation and urban development

20. The two leaders agreed to promote cooperation in the field of transport infrastructure construction and urban development in Vietnam. Vietnam welcomes Korean enterprises to invest in transport infrastructure in the form of public-private partnership (PPP). Korea agreed to continue supporting Vietnam in areas of mutual interest such as: transport, urban planning, architecture, housing, urban development, technical infrastructure, etc.

Cultural cooperation, tourism and people-to-people exchange

21. The two sides' senior leaders assessed that cultural, sports and tourism exchanges between the two countries have played an important role in enhancing understanding and friendship between the two peoples; agreed to enhance and create a favorable environment for people-to-people exchanges, cultural cooperation and public diplomacy between the two countries. The two sides' senior leaders also agreed to promote cooperation between research institutions of the two countries, including conducting visits to exchange research experts from the two countries. Vietnam is considering establishing a Vietnam Cultural Center in Korea, and the Korean side agreed to actively cooperate in this regard.

22. The two countries' senior leaders agreed to further facilitate people-to-people exchanges, especially efforts to expand cooperation in tourism as well as enhance tourism exchange activities between the two countries. The two countries' senior leaders agreed to pay more attention and support to help the two countries' communities stabilize their lives, study and work in each country as well as protect their legitimate rights. The two countries' senior leaders agreed to make joint efforts so that future generations of multicultural families can play a more active role in youth exchanges between the two countries. The Korean side affirmed that it will increase its attention and support for Vietnamese-Korean multicultural families. The Vietnamese side affirmed that it will continue to pay attention and support for the development of the Korean community in Vietnam. In addition, the two countries' senior leaders agreed to make efforts to soon implement the signed Vietnam-Korea Social Insurance Agreement to reduce the economic burden on the people of the two countries, and to speed up the exchange process between relevant agencies of the two countries to sign an Administrative Agreement to smoothly implement the above Agreement.

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol chaired a press conference.

Regional and international issues

23. The two countries' senior leaders agreed to cooperate closely to respond to global challenges, non-traditional security issues, energy security, food security, economic security, and cooperation in protecting the marine environment; at the same time, they agreed to enhance joint response capacity to emergency situations and continue to coordinate positions on international issues of common concern and benefit. The two countries' senior leaders agreed to closely coordinate in international and regional forums and mechanisms that both sides participate in and are interested in, such as the United Nations, the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) - Korea, the Mekong-Korea Cooperation and Mekong cooperation mechanisms in which Korea is a partner, the Asia-Europe Cooperation Forum (ASEM), the Partnership for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 Summit (P4G), the Southeast Asia Program (SEARP) of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)... The Korean side introduced the Indo-Pacific Strategy and the ASEAN-Korea Solidarity Initiative of the Korean Government, emphasizing that Vietnam is one of the most important partners in the implementation process in the coming time; the Vietnamese side welcomed this. The Korean side asked Vietnam to support Korea in hosting the 2030 Busan World Expo with the theme “Great World Transformation, Towards a Brighter Future”, and the Vietnamese side said it would actively consider this issue. The Korean side said it would actively support Vietnam in hosting the Partnership for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 (P4G) Summit in 2025.

24. The two sides reaffirmed the importance of ASEAN's solidarity and central role, and agreed to closely coordinate to promote the role of regional mechanisms, contributing to promoting post-COVID-19 socio-economic recovery, sustainable growth, green development and strengthening international connectivity. Vietnam welcomes and highly appreciates the practical and effective contributions of the Republic of Korea and stands ready to closely coordinate to promote sustainable and self-recoverable development of the Mekong Sub-region through the two cooperation frameworks of ASEAN - Republic of Korea and Mekong - Republic of Korea.

25. The two countries' senior leaders reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace, stability, safety and freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea; especially affirming the principle of peacefully resolving disputes on the basis of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982). The two countries' senior leaders called on relevant parties to exercise restraint and not take unilateral actions aimed at militarizing, changing the status quo or complicating the situation in the East Sea; effectively and fully implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), emphasizing the importance of soon reaching an effective and substantive Code of Conduct (COC) in the East Sea, in accordance with international law, especially UNCLOS.

26. The two countries' senior leaders reiterated their common stance on the Korean Peninsula issue stated in the Chairman's Statement of the 23rd ASEAN-ROK Summit; agreed that the development of nuclear weapons threatens peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula, East Asia and the world. The two sides called on North Korea to seriously implement its international obligations and commitments, including relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council and the September 19 Joint Statement; and affirmed the importance of the international community's efforts to fully implement relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council. The Vietnamese side welcomed and supported the efforts of the Korean Government to peacefully resolve the North Korean nuclear issue, including the Bold Initiative.

27. The two sides shared concerns about the situation in Myanmar and hoped that the situation in Myanmar would soon return to stability for the benefit of the people of Myanmar and for peace and stability in the region. The Korean side expressed its willingness to continue to coordinate with ASEAN countries in promoting solutions to stabilize the situation, end violence, and dialogue between parties in Myanmar, and support the effective implementation of ASEAN's "five-point consensus". The Vietnamese side thanked the Korean side for supporting ASEAN's efforts in resolving the Myanmar issue, including humanitarian aid activities.

28. The Agreements and Memorandums of Understanding including the Annexes were signed in the presence of the Senior Leaders of the two countries.

29. The two countries' senior leaders agreed that the State visit to the Republic of Korea by President Nguyen Xuan Phuc was a great success, making an important contribution to strengthening and further developing the friendly cooperative relationship between the two countries, contributing to peace, stability and prosperous development in the region and the world.

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc sincerely thanked President Yoon Suk-yeol of the Republic of Korea for the warm and respectful welcome given to the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation during their State visit to the Republic of Korea and respectfully invited President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife to visit Vietnam at the earliest possible time. President Yoon Suk-yeol sincerely thanked him and happily accepted the invitation.

APPENDIX TO SIGNED DOCUMENTS

Government Agreement:

1. Protocol amending the Agreement between the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Government of the Republic of Korea on cooperation and mutual assistance in the field of customs.

2. Exchange of Notes between the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Government of the Republic of Korea to implement the principle of cumulation of origin under the Free Trade Agreement between the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation between Agencies

1. Cooperation framework between the Ministry of Planning and Investment of Vietnam and the Ministry of Economy and Finance of the Republic of Korea on the use of official development assistance from Korea within the framework of the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) and the Economic Development Promotion Fund (EDPF).

2. Memorandum of Understanding on promoting cooperation on the basis of the “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership” between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea.

3. Memorandum of Understanding on Cultural Cooperation between the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Korea for the period 2023-2025.

4. Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the exploitation of essential minerals between the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy of the Republic of Korea.

5. Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the electricity and clean energy industry between the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy of the Republic of Korea.

6. Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Health of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Ministry of Health and Welfare of the Republic of Korea on cooperation in the field of health care

7. Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in information and communication technology between the Ministry of Information and Communications of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Ministry of Science, Technology, Information and Communications of the Republic of Korea./.