Celebrating 25th Anniversary of Korea-Laos Diplomatic Relations
President Moon: "Looking Forward to Further Future-Oriented Development"
On September 5 last year, President Moon Jae-in, on a state visit to Laos, announced the 'Korea-Mekong Cooperation Initiative' at the Mekong Riverside project site in Vientiane. President Moon Jae-in and President Bounnhang Vorachith of Laos exchanged congratulatory messages to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the restoration of diplomatic relations between Korea and Laos, the Blue House announced on the 23rd.
In his message to President Vorachith, President Moon said, "Since the restoration of diplomatic relations in 1995, Korea and Laos have developed a friendly cooperative relationship in various fields," and evaluated that "cooperation in rural community development, energy, infrastructure, and water resources in Laos is being smoothly promoted." He added, "I hope that the bilateral relationship will continue to develop in a more future-oriented manner."
President Bounnhang expressed gratitude, saying, "Over the past 25 years, Korea has provided development cooperation in various fields including human resource development, health, agriculture, and unexploded ordnance removal." He added, "Even amid the COVID-19 situation, let us continue exchanges and cooperation for mutual benefits of both countries as well as for the common prosperity and peace of the world."
Korea and Laos established diplomatic relations on June 22, 1974, but severed them on July 24 the following year, and only restored diplomatic relations on October 25, 1995.
Trade volume between Korea and Laos surged from about 10 million dollars in 1996 to 1.15 billion dollars in 2019. During the same period, human exchanges increased from 177 to 220,000 people.
Korea's official development assistance (ODA) to Laos amounted to 7.3 million dollars as of 2018, ranking second after Japan (9 million dollars).
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