S. Korean President Moon Jae-in Vows Efforts For Co-prosperity With Vietnam

South Korean President Moon Jae-in promised to work for the joint development of his country and Vietnam, noting that their relationship can last only when it is mutually beneficial.

SEOUL, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st Mar, 2018 ) :South Korean President Moon Jae-in promised to work for the joint development of his country and Vietnam, noting that their relationship can last only when it is mutually beneficial.

"Two key words that comes to my mind when it comes to South Korea-Vietnam economic cooperation is joint existence and cooperation for future growth," Moon said in an interview with Vietnam's official newspaper, The People, published Wednesday.

"First off, I am convinced economic cooperation between countries can be sustained when both sides jointly enjoy the benefits, and I plan to develop economic cooperation between South Korea and Vietnam to the mutual end of contributing to the coexistence and prosperity of the two countries," he added, according to a script of his written interview released by his office Cheong Wa Dae.

South Korean president is also scheduled to meet three other top leaders of Vietnam, including Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of the Communist Party, and Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, according to Cheong Wa Dae.

Moon noted that Vietnam is already his country's fourth-largest trading partner and South Korea Vietnam's second-largest.

The South Korean leader expressed hope that the countries' bilateral trade volume will reach US$100 billion in 2020, up from $63.9 billion in 2017.

"South Korea will continue to seek ways to boost its cooperation with Vietnam so that it can contribute to realizing Vietnam's goal of building an industrialized modern nation by 2020," he said.

Moon also stressed the importance of increasing exchanges between the two countries, saying 150,000 South Koreans in Vietnam and 170,000 Vietnamese people in South Korea are already helping bridge the gap between the two.

While offering his congratulations for the recent achievement of Vietnam's under-23 national football team led by South Korean coach Park Hang-seo, Moon insisted that the team's achievement showed what the two countries can achieve when they join forces.

"I am glad for the team in that it symbolically showed through sport the 'South Korea-Vietnam magic' that Vietnam and South Korea can achieve anything when they join their strength," he said.