President Lee Jae-myung (left) and Vietnamese President Luong Cuong (Yonhap/AP-Yonhap)
President Lee Jae-myung (left) and Vietnamese President Luong Cuong (Yonhap/AP-Yonhap)

President Lee Jae-myung called for expanded cooperation with Vietnam during phone talks with Vietnam's President Luong Cuong on 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 the infrastructure projects or to which South Korean companies she may be referring.

The remarks came as Vietnam was working to build a 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 interest in bids for the project.

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 to restart in December. The project in the southeastern region of Vietnam, about 1,100 kilometers from Hanoi, has been paused for eight years. If construction is completed as planned by 2030, the two would be Vietnam's first nuclear power units.

Meanwhile, President Lee was invited to visit the Southeast Asian country by his Vietnamese counterpart. Lee expressed anticipation for his visit to discuss ways to develop bilateral ties, according to the presidential office. The last South Korean leader to have visited Vietnam was Lee's disgraced predecessor, Yoon Suk Yeol, in 2023.

Kang also said the two leaders discussed more active high-level exchanges 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 president of Vietnam by its parliament in October.

Cuong was the fifth international leader whom Lee spoke with via phone. Since being sworn in on June 4, Lee has held phone calls with US President Donald Trump, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Chinese President Xi Jinping and the Czech Republic's Prime Minister Petr Fiala.

Lee immediately assumed the presidency after his election win on June 3.


consnow@heraldcorp.com