To Lam, the general secretary of the Communist Party, arrived in Seoul the previous day for a meeting with Lee, the first state visit by a foreign leader since Lee took office in early June.
In a meeting at the presidential office in Yongsan, To began his talks by saying he was honored to be the first state guest of the newly-launched Lee administration and expressed confidence that Lee’s leadership would bring about a new milestone for South Korea.
Lee responded by hailing Viet Nam as a "very important neighbor" and expressing hope of "further elevating" bilateral cooperation, stressing the Southeast Asian country's rapid economic growth as South Korea's third-largest trading partner.
"Marking the 10th anniversary of signing a free trade agreement, the two countries agreed to corporate further to reach a goal of achieving bilateral trade volume to $150 billion by 2030," Lee said at a joint press briefing after the meeting.
He also explained that the two countries agreed to increase investment and cooperate in various sectors including infrastructure, nuclear energy, and construction.
Lee also added that around five million people travel between Seoul and Hanoi annually, and about 100,000 couples here are in marriages involving Vietnamese spouses, highlighting mutual exchanges across various sectors between the two countries.
To invited Lee and first lady Kim Hye-kyung to visit Hanoi in the near future, and Lee requested his attendance at the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, which is scheduled to be held in the historic southern city of Gyeongju this fall.
reporter
Im Yoon-seo
lyseo0330@ajupress.com
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