Korea, Vietnam to Open Regular Channel for Dialogue
By Yoon Won-sup
Staff Reporter
Foreign Minister Song Min-soon and his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Gia Khiem shared the view that the foreign ministries of the two countries should set up regular dialogue to discuss bilateral issues.
``With the bilateral relations deepening, the two sides need to establish a regular channel for dialogue,'' Cho Hee-yong, the ministry's spokesman, said in a press release after the ministers' meeting in Seoul, Thursday.
The two ministers exchanged opinions on bilateral issues concerning political, economic and, cultural issues.
Khiem accompanied Secretary-General Nong Duc Manh of the Vietnamese Communist Party who had a summit with President Roh Moo-hyun Wednesday.
The successful summit, which marked the 15th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Seoul and Hanoi, will strengthen the comprehensive partnership, according to Song and Khiem.
Song explained the outcome of the inter-Korean summit held in Pyongyang in Oct. 2-4 to Khiem and called for Vietnam's support for peace on the Korean Peninsula. In response, Khiem said Vietnam will play an active role in the peace process on the peninsula.
They also shared views of increasing cultural and personal exchanges with government support.
Particularly, Song said the Korean government will prepare measures regarding Vietnamese women who get married to Korean men through brokers. Khiem also said Vietnam will help the Korean government on the issue because it had emerged as a serious problem between the two countries.
Turning to the Myanmar crisis, the ministers said they support the U.N.'s effort to improve the human rights situation in Myanmar.
Song also asked for Vietnam's support for Yeosu's bid to host the 2012 World Expo.
The two nations suffered a strained relationship in the 1960s and 1970s after South Korea dispatched troops to the Vietnam War on the U.S. side. But after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, the relationship rapidly changed, culminating in diplomatic recognition the following year.
Since the 2001 summit in which the two countries agreed to forge a comprehensive partnership, they have concluded a set of agreements to promote trade and investment, prevent double taxation, and increase cooperation in the airline and shipping sectors.