Lee Jae-myung calls for broader bilateral ties in Vietnam infrastructure
President Lee Jae-myung called for expanded cooperation with Vietnam during phone talks with Vietnam's President Luong Cuong Thursday morning, highlighting South Korean firms' bid to participate in infrastructure construction projects, including high-speed railways and nuclear power plants.
Lee's spokesperson Kang Yu-jung told reporters Thursday that the bilateral economic ties could expand and deepen to bolster "strategic cooperations in the field of high-speed railways and nuclear power plants," as the two countries had raised their bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership — the highest in Vietnam's diplomatic hierarchy.
According to Kang, Cuong described South Korea as a "trusted, crucial partner" in Vietnam's economic development and advancement during the phone talks.
Lee asked that Cuong give keen attention to South Korean businesses operating in Vietnam, and support their "smooth activities" in the Southeast Asian country, Kang said, adding Cuong made "a positive response" to Lee's request.
Kang did not elaborate further on which infrastructure projects, or which South Korean company she was referring to.
The remarks came as Vietnam was working to build the North-South high-speed railway spanning more than 1,500 kilometers and connecting its capital in the northern region, Hanoi, with Ho Chi Minh City in the southern region. The 1,713 trillion-dong ($66 billion) project gained parliamentary approval in November and aims for construction to be completed by 2030.
While a South Korean consortium could be considered one of the potential contenders in the blockbuster project, Vietnamese companies such as VinSpeed and Thaco have also reportedly expressed bids for the project.
The focus is also on whether South Korean firms will be able to participate in the planned Ninh Thuan nuclear power project to build two units, which won the Vietnamese parliament's approval for the project restart in December. The project in the southeastern region of Vietnam, about 1,100 kilometers away from Hanoi, had been paused for eight years. If the construction is completed as planned by 2030, these would be Vietnam's first nuclear power units.
Meanwhile, President Lee was invited to visit Vietnam by his Vietnamese counterpart. Lee expressed anticipation for his visit to the country to discuss ways to develop bilateral ties, according to the presidential office. The last South Korean leader to visit Vietnam was Lee's disgraced predecessor, Yoon Suk Yeol, in 2023.
Kang also said the two leaders discussed more active high-level exchange ahead of South Korea's hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders' meeting in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, in November.
This year marks the third anniversary of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries. The partnership was elevated in December 2022 under the Yoon administration.
According to Lee's office, the phone call between the two leaders took place Thursday morning for around 25 minutes from 9:30 a.m. Cuong is a former army general who was elected the president of Vietnam by its parliament.
He was the fifth leader whom Lee had talked to via phone. Since being sworn in, Lee spoke to US President Donald Trump, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Chinese President Xi Jinping and the Czech Republic's Prime Minister Petr Fiala.
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