- The move will allow South Korea and Vietnam to strengthen ties as strategic partners.
- The deal is supposed to be South Korea’s first COVID-19 vaccine commitment to a foreign country.
South Korea will reportedly provide more than 1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Vietnam in October this year, as both countries attempt to enhance their ties as strategic partners.
South Korean President, Moon Jae-in committed during the summit with Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc on the sidelines of the U.N general assembly, revealed Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson, Park Kyung-mee.
The deal is supposed to be Korea’s first COVID-19 vaccine commitment to a foreign country. The decision was made as both countries had been helping each other amidst the pandemic, by sharing important supplies.
Sources claim that Korea is trying to make use of COVID-19 vaccines in its diplomacy, as the country aims to vaccinate at least 70% of its total population by the end of October.
Notably, both nations have been consistently strengthening their ties in various areas since they upgraded to a strategic partnership in 2009.
Korean President Moon Jae-in stated that he hopes the trade volume between the countries would reach USD 100 billion by 2023. The President further thanked Vietnam for accepting Korean as its first foreign language and allowed it to be taught at primary levels in schools.
Korea’s interest in Vietnam has also developed in recent years, paving the way for strong linguistic and cultural ties between the two countries, added Moon.
The Vietnamese President expressed his gratitude to Korea for its investment and cooperation as a strategic partner. He also added that Vietnam has learned a lot from Korea’s socioeconomic recovery and efficient pandemic management strategies.
The meeting held on 21st September was the first direct meeting between the Presidents of both countries after Nguyen Xuan Phuc was elected as Vietnam’s President in April.
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