South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol will visit Vietnam from June 22 to 24, marking his first official visit to an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member state since taking office. The visit is reciprocating an earlier visit by Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong to the ROK while he was a permanent member of the Vietnamese Party Central Committee’s Secretariat. During his stay, Yoon will meet with Vietnam’s top leadership, including President Thuong, Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue, aiming to discuss and expand the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

The main objective of this visit is to bolster economic cooperation with Vietnam, one of South Korea’s top three trading partners. Yoon will attend various economic events such as the Korea-Vietnam Partnership Expo, a luncheon with burgeoning businesses, a business forum and a dialogue with representatives of the digital future generation. A substantial economic delegation, the largest since Yoon’s administration began, comprising 205 individuals from top Korean conglomerates and six major economic organizations, will accompany Yoon. Kim Tae-hyo, the first deputy director of the National Security Office, told reporters in a briefing that this delegation aims to enhance bilateral economic activities and extend cooperation into new areas like core mineral supply networks, renewable energy, innovative science and technology and smart cities.