Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attended the 26th ASEAN–Republic of Korea Summit alongside ASEAN leaders and RoK President Lee Jae-myung on the morning of October 27, within the framework of the second working day of the 47th ASEAN Summit and related summits in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

At the summit, leaders assessed that ASEAN-RoK relations continue to develop dynamically following their upgrade to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2024. The Republic of Korea (RoK) is now ASEAN’s fifth-largest trading partner and seventh-largest FDI investor, with bilateral trade reaching US$208.2 billion and FDI inflows of US$7.6 billion in 2024. Leaders highlighted the RoK’s active participation across ASEAN’s sectoral cooperation mechanisms, achieving 95% of action lines under the 2021-2025 Action Plan. Key initiatives, including the ASEAN-ROK Digital Academy and ASEAN-ROK Digital Innovation Program, have enhanced regional digital capacity and nurtured talents across ASEAN.

Both sides emphasized strengthening ties, building trust, and expanding cooperation for mutual development and benefits to their peoples. ASEAN and RoK will immediately implement the 2026-2030 Action Plan and initiate negotiations to upgrade the ASEAN-RoK Free Trade Agreement (AKFTA) in 2026, with a focus on incorporating high-quality cooperation areas such as green economy, digital economy, and supply chain integration.

The leaders also agreed to bolster cooperation in strategic sectors, including digital transformation, innovation, clean energy, strategic minerals, sustainable environment, maritime security, transnational crime prevention, and cybersecurity.

President Lee stressed that his nation places importance on ASEAN centrality, support for ASEAN’s Indo-Pacific Outlook, and alignment of the RoK’s future vision with ASEAN’s vision of a resilient, innovative, and people-centered community.

He proposed cooperation on three pillars: “Contributing to Dreams and Hopes; Leveraging Growth and Innovation; Partnering for Peace and Stability,” and affirmed RoK’s continued support for ASEAN in implementing the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework, the ASEAN Power Grid, narrowing development gaps, and enhancing regional connectivity.

PM Chinh shared that ASEAN-RoK relations have entered a new strategic and comprehensive phase, while underscoring the need for timely and effective coordination to tackle challenges, create a favourable environment for sustainable and inclusive development, and contribute to regional and global peace and cooperation.

PM Chinh outlined three key directions to advance the ASEAN-ROK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership: prioritizing green, digital, circular, and sustainable economic, trade, and investment linkages; initiating AKFTA upgrade talks and expanding cooperation to new areas such as green economy, digital economy, AI, and supply chains. He also called on the RoK to enhance technology transfer, support high-quality human resource training, connect tech enterprises, develop AI in renewable energy, smart infrastructure, and green agriculture, and facilitate ASEAN businesses’ integration into global supply chains.

Cultural, educational, and people-to-people exchanges, tourism development, and cultural connectivity were also highlighted as priorities. The Vietnamese Government chief stressed the importance of joint contributions to regional peace, security, stability, and prosperity, emphasizing ASEAN–RoK responsibility in turning the East Sea into a zone of peace, cooperation, and sustainable development.

Vietnam backs the RoK’s efforts to resume inter-Korean dialogue and cooperation, actively engaging in the process to build a peaceful, stable, and prosperous Korean Peninsula, and advocates for its denuclearization, he added.

On this occasion, PM Chinh extended best wishes to President Lee and the RoK for a successful chairmanship of APEC 2025 in the coming days.

PM attends 28th ASEAN–Japan Summit

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh joined leaders of other ASEAN member states and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at the 28th ASEAN–Japan Summit on October 26.

Vietnam contributes to advancing ASEAN’s digital economy, food security

Vietnam’s contributions and proposals align with the economic issues that shape discussions at the 47th ASEAN Summit, including the push for deeper integration towards sustainability and the development of a digital-based economy, said Dr. Zokhri Idris, a senior international relations analyst at Universiti Malaya.