At their meeting, Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik welcomed President Sang’s visit, describing it as an important event that would foster the development of bilateral relations between the two countries.

Both Vietnamese and RoK leaders expressed their pleasure at the deeper and more effective development of the Vietnam-RoK friendship and cooperation during past years, especially since the establishment of the strategic cooperative partnership in 2009.

The two leaders exchanged views on measures to strongly and comprehensively boost bilateral cooperation in the future, especially in economics and trade.

President Sang asked that the Republic of Korea continue to consider Vietnam a key partner in development cooperation. He also proposed that the Republic of Korea facilitate the import of Vietnamese goods to help reduce Vietnam ’s trade deficit.

He also called on the RoK to help Vietnam develop supporting industries and welcomed major RoK companies and groups to promote investment and technology transfer in Vietnam .

Prime Minister Kim affirmed that the RoK attaches importance to developing its friendship with Vietnam , and promising that he would guide the implementation of agreements between the two countries during President Sang’s visit, including the successful organisation of the Vietnam-RoK Friendship Year 2012 and boosting joint projects in economics, science and technology.

He also emphasised that the RoK considers Vietnam one of its priority partners in its official development assistance (ODA) strategy, and pledged to increase its ODA to Vietnam , especially in infrastructure construction and human resource development.

President Sang highly valued RoK’s ODA, affirming that Vietnam will use the capital effectively.

In another meeting with National Assembly Speaker Park Hee-tae, President Sang said Vietnam attaches importance to the strategic cooperative partnership with the RoK.

He also spoke highly of the developments of ties between the two legislative bodies, considering the relations a constituent of the bilateral strategic cooperative partnership.

The President proposed the Korean National Assembly and parliamentarians continue to support the two countries’ relations through facilitating the implementation of bilateral agreements. He also asked for more help for the Vietnamese community in the RoK, in particular for Vietnamese women who got married with RoK men.

The top Korean legislator expressed his wish to promote the exchanges between the two legislatures, affirming that RoK National Assembly will support and create necessary conditions to further strengthen bilateral strategic cooperative relations.

The two leaders agreed that increasing people-to-people exchanges is important to intensify mutual trust and understanding between the two countries, as well as create a firm foundation for comprehensive Vietnam-RoK development in the future.

They also agreed to coordinate closely to successfully organise activities during the Vietnam-RoK Friendship Year, contributing to increasing friendship, mutual trust and understanding between the two people.

Also on the same day, President Sang met with the Chairman of the RoK-Vietnam Friendship Association, the Minister of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs, and leaders of Kengnam, Samsung, POSCO and Hanhwa groups, the Korean Electricity Company, Korea International Cooperation Agency. The President also and he visited Kumho Asiana group.

President Sang attended the Vietnam-RoK Business Dialogue, answering questions relating to major options for bilateral trade promotion.

During his visit to the RoK, leaders of the two countries agreed to boost and deepen bilateral economic cooperation and trade, and fulfil the target of 20 billion USD in bilateral trade ahead of 2015, he said, describing this as an important basis for enhancing practical cooperation between businesses.

Vietnam considers the RoK a leading strategic partner, the President said, affirming to create all favourable conditions for RoK firms to cooperate, invest and develop in Vietnam .

The President said he believed that the business forum will create conditions to help the two countries’ business communities to take advantage for new opportunities for cooperation, investment and business.

At a meeting with Chairman of the RoK-Vietnam Friendship Association, President Sang highly valued its operations, saying that it fostered friendship between the two peoples.

He urged the association to organise various activities in the Year of Vietnam-RoK Friendship in 2012.

On the same day, President Sang met staff of the Vietnamese Embassy and representatives of the Vietnamese community in the RoK.

Later in the day, President Sang and his entourage left Seoul for Busan, continuing his state-level visit to the RoK./.