President Lee Jae-myung (left) on June 12 held his first phone talks with Vietnamese President Luong Cuong. (President Lee's official X account)

By Jeon Misun 

President Lee Jae-myung on June 12 held his first phone talks since taking office with the leaders of Vietnam and Australia, following earlier talks with the heads of state of the U.S., Japan, China and the Czech Republic.

Presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung on June 12 told a briefing that President Lee spoke on the phone with Vietnamese President Luong Cuong for about 25 minutes from 9:30 a.m.

President Lee said, "I hope we can work closely together to further advance the comprehensive strategic partnership between Korea and Vietnam."

In response, President Cuong said, "I hope to strengthen our ties with Korea, a reliable and key partner in promoting Vietnam's economic development and advancement. Let us work actively together."

The spokesperson added that the two leaders "agreed to expand and deepen bilateral cooperation in strategic areas such as high-speed rail and nuclear power plants in line with their comprehensive strategic partnership."

President Lee requested more attention and support for Korean companies to smoothly advance to Vietnam, to which President Cuong responded positively.

Vietnam is Korea's third-largest trading partner after China and the U.S., with around 10,000 Korean companies operating in the Southeast Asian country.

In addition, President Lee held his first phone talks with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for about 15 minutes starting at 5 p.m.

In a written briefing, spokesperson Kang said, "Based on their trust and solidarity built after Australia's participation in the Korean War, the two side have actively cooperated in various sectors including national defense and the defense industry, clean energy and supply chains including key minerals. They also agreed to continue boosting this cooperation moving forward."

The two leaders agreed to maintain close communication and cooperation to achieve tangible progress in peace on the Korean Peninsula and resolution of North Korea's nuclear issue. As founding members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), they also pledged active collaboration for a successful hosting of this year's APEC Summit in the second half of this year in Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province.

msjeon22@korea.kr