First Visit to North Korea by a Vietnamese Leader Since 2007
75th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations Between the Two Countries This Year
Reuters reported on September 25, citing Vietnamese officials, that To Lam, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the country's top leader, is scheduled to visit North Korea next month.
An official stated that General Secretary Lam will meet with Kim Jong Un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, but specific details regarding the visit schedule and topics of discussion have not yet been disclosed.
Preparations for the visit are still underway, and neither side has made an official announcement.
This will be the first time a Vietnamese leader visits North Korea since 2007, when then-General Secretary Nong Duc Manh made a three-day trip. The two countries have maintained close diplomatic relations since establishing ties in 1950, and this year marks the 75th anniversary of their diplomatic relationship.
However, according to the Vietnamese Embassy in Pyongyang, there are currently no official trade relations between the two countries. The most recent trade case was in 2016, when Vietnam exported goods worth about 3 million dollars (approximately 4.2 billion won) to North Korea.
Last month, from the 10th to the 13th, General Secretary Lam paid a four-day state visit to South Korea. This was the first visit by a foreign leader to South Korea since the inauguration of the Lee Jaemyung administration.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
