General Secretary To Lam and his wife arrive in Seoul, South Korea

General Secretary To Lam is the first state guest to visit South Korea after President Lee Jae Myung took office.

Welcoming General Secretary To Lam and his wife and the Vietnamese delegation at Seongnam military airport, on the Korean side were: Foreign Minister Cho Hyun; Korean Ambassador to Vietnam Choi Young Sam and his wife; Commander of Seongnam military airport.

On the Vietnamese side, there were Vietnamese Ambassador to Korea Vu Ho; Embassy staff and the Vietnamese community in Korea.

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun welcomed the General Secretary and his wife at the foot of the plane's stairs.

General Secretary To Lam and his wife walked on the red carpet with an honor guard, greeting Korean officials, embassy staff, and the Vietnamese community in Korea in a warm welcome.

General Secretary To Lam and his wife arrive in Seoul, South Korea. Photo: Van Hieu

Before the visit, Vietnamese Ambassador to Korea Vu Ho said that the visit was a highlight in the diplomatic relations between the two countries. This was the first time that the head of the Communist Party of Vietnam was invited by the Korean government as a state guest immediately after taking office. President Lee Jae Myung personally directed the reception of the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation, requesting ministries and sectors to respond and provide maximum support for the success of the visit.

The visit will include a wide range of activities, with strategic highlights on politics, economic-trade cooperation, culture and arts, and people-to-people exchanges. The exchanges will be of strategic significance, shaping the Vietnam-Korea relationship to continue to develop in a new era taking shape in both Vietnam and Korea.

Not only that, this visit is also expected to open up the Vietnam - Korea Comprehensive Strategic Partnership to grow in both quantity and quality.

The Ambassador said that there are currently hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese and Koreans residing in the two countries. This is the strategic resource to implement the determination and commitments of the leaders of the two countries. General Secretary To Lam's visit is a great source of encouragement for the Vietnamese community in Korea, a symbol of the Party and State's concern for overseas Vietnamese...

The Korean Foreign Minister and children welcomed the General Secretary and his wife. Photo: Van Hieu

Korea continues to be Vietnam's No. 1 investment partner; No. 2 tourist market; No. 2 ODA provider; No. 3 trade partner; and No. 3 labor market. In 2024, bilateral trade turnover will reach 81.5 billion USD, up 7.3% over the previous year.

Of which, exports to South Korea reached 25.6 billion USD, up 9.1%; imports from South Korea reached 55.9 billion USD, up 6.5%; trade deficit with South Korea was worth 30.3 billion USD.

Bilateral cooperation mechanisms continue to be maintained.

Regarding labor cooperation, the two sides signed an extension of the Memorandum of Understanding on sending and receiving Vietnamese workers to work in Korea under the Korean Employment Permit System (EPS) in June 2023, effective for 2 years from the date of signing.

In 2024, Korea will continue to be Vietnam's third largest overseas labor market. About 7,900 EPS workers will be accepted by Korea, bringing the total number of Vietnamese workers in Korea to about 88,000 (including EPS workers, skilled workers and seasonal workers).

In 2024, 4.6 million Koreans will visit Vietnam and 600,000 Vietnamese will visit Korea. This is the first time that the number of people-to-people exchanges between the two countries has exceeded 5 million. In the first quarter of 2025, Korea is the second largest tourist market of Vietnam with 1.26 million visitors, an increase of 2.2% over the same period in 2024, accounting for 21% of the total number of foreign visitors to Vietnam.

In 2024, the total number of Vietnamese people living and working in Korea will be about 320,000, an increase of 50,000 people compared to 2023.

Of these, nearly 100,000 are international students, over 100,000 are other workers, over 40,000 are brides who married Korean men (not counting those who have acquired Korean citizenship); the rest are under investment cooperation, visiting relatives, and short-term work. The descendants of the Ly Hoa Son and Ly Tinh Thien families are estimated at about 1,000 people.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/tong-bi-thu-to-lam-va-phu-nhan-den-seoul-han-quoc-2430520.html