The meeting was in the framework of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s official visit to the RoK.

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Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh (right) and Korean Deputy Defense Minister Park Jae-min

During the meeting, both defense officials agreed that the bilateral relationship and strategic partnership between the two countries have achieved practical outcomes in which the defense cooperation is one of the important pillars.

They emphasized that the bilateral defense cooperation is being carried out effectively and the signed agreements have received much support from the two countries’ senior leaders. The good ties have brought important results at bilateral, regional and international levels, especially in jointly overcoming war aftermath, maritime security, personnel training, cyber security, UN peacekeeping operations, and cooperation in multilateral forums in the framework of ASEAN-led mechanisms.

Regarding the cooperation in the future, the two sides agreed to enhancing high-level visits and maintaining current cooperation mechanisms with a focus on promoting the tripartite cooperation of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and Vietnam in overcoming consequences of post-war bombs and mines and in personnel training. The RoK side is also considering providing used boats to the Vietnamese side.The Korean Deputy Defense Minister expressed his support for Vietnam’s initiatives and confirmed that the Korean Defense Ministry is ready to take part in defense-military events chaired by the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense in 2020 when Vietnam takes over the ASEAN Chair.

For his part, General Vinh showed his support for the expansion of the RoK’s defense cooperation in the region, including the Seoul Defense Dialogue mechanisms and ASEAN-RoK Deputy Defense Ministers’ Meeting.

At the meeting, the two sides agreed that the newly-ended ASEAN-RoK Commemorative Summit held in Busan was a clear demonstration of the growing traditional relations between ASEAN and the RoK in general, and between the RoK and ASEAN member states in particular.

Reported by Tan Phong and Thanh Tung from Seoul, the RoK

Translated by Mai Huong