Summit Meeting with President Lee
Vietnam's Top Leader Makes First State Visit in 11 Years
Discussions on Nuclear Power, High-Speed Rail, and Smart Cities
Presidential Office: "First Foreign Head of State to Visit Since Inauguration of New Administration"
Once again, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam will make a state visit to South Korea at the invitation of President Lee Jaemyung, marking the first such visit in 11 years. This will also be the first visit by a foreign head of state since the inauguration of the Lee administration. President Lee plans to discuss a wide range of topics, including nuclear power generation, high-speed rail, the defense industry, and the cultural and arts sectors.
On August 7, Presidential Spokesperson Kang Yujeong announced during a briefing at the Yongsan Presidential Office that the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, To Lam, will pay a four-day state visit to South Korea starting on August 10. The General Secretary of the Communist Party holds the highest authority in Vietnam, and this will be the first visit by a foreign leader since the new administration took office. President Lee is scheduled to hold a summit and a state dinner with General Secretary To Lam on August 11.
Spokesperson Kang stated, "President Lee will hold in-depth discussions with General Secretary To Lam on not only politics, security, trade, and investment, but also on national infrastructure projects such as nuclear power, high-speed rail, smart cities, as well as science and technology and talent development, which are considered future strategic fields." She added, "We expect that the state visit by General Secretary To Lam will serve as an opportunity to reaffirm both countries' commitment to developing Korea-Vietnam relations in a more future-oriented manner and to further strengthen cooperation with ASEAN."
This marks the first time in 11 years that a General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam will visit South Korea. In October 2014, then-General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made a state visit to South Korea and held both one-on-one and expanded summit meetings with then-President Park Geunhye. During the summit, the two countries agreed to finalize a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) within the year. Subsequently, on December 10, 2014, the Korea-Vietnam FTA was concluded after 28 months of negotiations.
General Secretary To Lam is known to have a particular interest in Korea's cultural and arts sectors. Spokesperson Kang said, "There are no specific agendas announced yet for the Korea-Vietnam summit," but added, "I understand that General Secretary To Lam has many requests regarding places he would like to visit related to culture and the arts. There are also individuals he wishes to meet, so discussions are focusing on those areas."
The economy is also expected to be a major topic. South Korea is Vietnam's largest cumulative investor, with numerous companies including Samsung Electronics operating in the country. Recently, Vietnam has been subject to high reciprocal tariffs of up to 20% due to the 'America First' policy of former U.S. President Donald Trump. As Korean companies in Vietnam are also affected when exporting to the United States, countermeasures are needed. Spokesperson Kang commented, "It is expected that the topic of tariffs will naturally come up during the discussions."
The General Secretary is also expected to hold a series of meetings with the heads of major corporations. Eleven years ago, then-General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong began his visit by touring the Samsung Electronics Seocho office and meeting with Lee Jaeyong, who was then Vice Chairman. This time, General Secretary To Lam is expected to meet with the leaders of companies with business operations in Vietnam, such as Samsung, Hyundai Motor, SK, and LG, to discuss investment plans and possible incentive measures.
President Lee has also emphasized cooperation with Vietnam since taking office. During the 26th Cabinet meeting on June 19, President Lee, after receiving a report on attracting foreign talent, remarked, "There are probably many people in Vietnam who wish to come to Korea. From a humanitarian perspective, we should consider accepting more people from Vietnam or offering incentives to Vietnam."
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