Vietnamese leader To Lam, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, will make a state visit to Korea from Aug. 10-13 at the invitation of President Lee Jae Myung. Shown is President Lee on Aug. 1 chairing a meeting with the heads of the country's cities and provinces at the Office of the President in Seoul. (Office of the President)

By Xu Aiying

Vietnam's top leader To Lam, who is general secretary of his country's Communist Party, will pay a state visit to Korea from Aug. 10-13 at the invitation of President Lee Jae Myung as the first foreign leader to visit the country since the Lee administration took office.

Presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung on Aug. 7 said this in a news briefing, saying, "Through their summit and state dinner scheduled for Aug. 11, President Lee plans to hold in-depth talks with General Secretary Lam on national infrastructure like nuclear power plants, high-speed rail and smart cities, science and technology, and human resource development in addition to politics, trade and investment."

"Vietnam is a comprehensive strategic partner of Korea and a core ally in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)," she added. "Through General Secretary Lam's state visit to Korea, we expect to confirm the commitment of both countries to develop bilateral relations in a more future-oriented and mutually beneficial manner and use the visit as an opportunity to further boost cooperation with ASEAN.”

In a written interview with Vietnam's public media VNA released on the same day, President Lee said, "General Secretary Lam's visit to Korea will mark the first by a foreign official and the first state guest that our administration has welcomed," adding, "This is evidence of the strong intent of my administration and me to develop the comprehensive strategic partnership between our two countries in a future-oriented way."

Mentioning how close the people of both countries are, he said, "One hundred thousand multicultural families and Vietnamese workers are 'private diplomats' who drive the development of bilateral relations," adding, "Korea and Vietnam are 'country in-laws' linked by marriage."

xuaiy@korea.kr