An eye on China, South Korea charts a course for closer ties with Vietnam



Analysis An eye on China, South Korea charts a course for closer ties with Vietnam Yoon Suk-yeol sought to diversify supply chains and boost defense cooperation during state visit, but pitfalls remain John LeeJune 26, 2023 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON President Yoon Suk-yeol holds a summit meeting with Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong, June 23, 2023 \| Image: ROK Presidential Office South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol recently embarked on a three-day state visit to Vietnam to reinforce bilateral relations between the two nations. Throughout the visit, Yoon emphasized his commitment to facilitating rich cultural exchanges with the Southeast Asian country and fostering economic ties, an area of particular importance as Seoul looks to reduce its dependence on China. He also made clear South Korea’s interest in deepening defense links with Hanoi, likely angling in part to find a new market for ROK weapons manufacturers. But while Yoon’s visit sketched out a promising blueprint of opportunities, it isn’t devoid of potential pitfalls © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. LATEST ANALYSIS 01South Korea bank hacks expose weak links beyond core financial systems 02Lee-Zelensky feud exposes South Korea’s widening Ukraine policy dilemma 03Lee Jae Myung’s ‘pacemaker’ strategy tests South Korea’s leverage with Trump 04Trump’s Korea investment victory lap masks safeguards Seoul still controls 05North Korean POW dispute tests Seoul-Kyiv trust and future Ukraine policy 06South Korea’s CPTPP push exposes the cost of turning trade gains into consensus 07AI storage boom gives South Korea battery makers an EV overcapacity lifeline 08South Korea’s Mexico strategy runs into the hard limits of USMCA politics

Analysis

An eye on China, South Korea charts a course for closer ties with Vietnam

Yoon Suk-yeol sought to diversify supply chains and boost defense cooperation during state visit, but pitfalls remain

John LeeJune 26, 2023

An eye on China, South Korea charts a course for closer ties with Vietnam

President Yoon Suk-yeol holds a summit meeting with Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong, June 23, 2023 | Image: ROK Presidential Office

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol recently embarked on a three-day state visit to Vietnam to reinforce bilateral relations between the two nations.

Throughout the visit, Yoon emphasized his commitment to facilitating rich cultural exchanges with the Southeast Asian country and fostering economic ties, an area of particular importance as Seoul looks to reduce its dependence on China.

He also made clear South Korea’s interest in deepening defense links with Hanoi, likely angling in part to find a new market for ROK weapons manufacturers.

But while Yoon’s visit sketched out a promising blueprint of opportunities, it isn’t devoid of potential pitfalls

An eye on China, South Korea charts a course for closer ties with Vietnam

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John Lee