Korea and Vietnam sign MoU on comprehensive environmental cooperation

The two sídes vowed to combat environmental issues by joining hands

At the forum, Ha particularly appreciated the support of the Korean Ministry of Environment as well as Korean businesses in environmental protection.

Ha said he expects the forum could further detail the contents of the joint statement made by the two countries’ top leaders during a recent visit to Vietnam by Korean President Moon Jae-In, helping to propel the friendship and cooperative relations between the governments and the people of the two countries.

“With this significance, I expect that at today’s forum the state management agencies, research institutes, environmental protection associations, and businesses in our two countries will become proactive in exchanging information and management experience, promoting technology transfer, and proposing feasible and concrete cooperative projects in the fields of mutual concern,” Ha stressed.

Cooperation in environmental protection between Vietnam and South Korea dates back to the first meeting of the two countries’ environmental ministers in Hanoi in 2000. Since then, the bilateral cooperation has been increasingly augmented and posted important results.

Through the supply of diverse training programmes and hosting exchanges on environmental issues and technical support projects, Korea has effectively supported the Vietnamese Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) and the local natural resources and environmental sector in human resources development, management capacity enhancement, and raising the capacity in environmental technology research and development.

Sharing her mindset, Korean Minister of Environment Kim Eun Kyung said at the forum: “Since the two countries embraced cooperation in environmental protection, Vietnam and South Korea have engaged in an array of inclusive cooperative activities.”

“In the face of the country’s rapid economic growth, Vietnam might encounter numerous environmental threats, such as solid waste and water resources contamination, which are global issues,” she said. “Therefore, I hope in today’s forum our two countries will share the difficulties we are facing and jointly seek solutions to tackle environmental threats in Vietnam.”

As part of the forum, management units under MoNRE and the Korean Ministry of Environment, as well as businesses in the two countries presented the latest policies and treatment technologies on environmental protection.

Geum-Yong Hong

Geum-Yong Hong, CEO of BL Process Limited which is specialised in providing technology solutions and equipment for surface and wastewater quality monitoring, told VIR, “We have three targets for joining today’s forum: increasing the exposure of the company’s products and services, presenting successful projects in its field in Korea, and seeking potential partners in Vietnam for long-term cooperation.”

“We have a project on water quality monitoring system supply in Vietnam which was put into use in 2016,” he said.

Also at the forum, the Ha Tinh People’s Committee and Korea Environmental Industry and Technology Institute (KEITI) (one of the forum organisers besides the Vietnam Environment Administration) signed a MoU on implementing a master plan for improving sewerage system and river water quality in the central province.

On the same morning (April 16), at MoNRE headquarters Minister Tran Hong Ha and Deputy Minister Vo Tuan Nhan met Korean Minister of Environment Kim Eun Kyung to discuss cooperative ties between the two ministries and signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on comprehensive environmental cooperation between the two ministries.

The MoU seeks to enhance mutual understanding through the exchange of information and personnel, and to contribute to the resolution of national, regional, and global environmental issues through cooperation in the fields of environmental technology and industry, based on the principles of equality and mutual benefits and respect for national sovereignty.

Under the MoU, cooperative activities between Vietnam and Korea will cover diverse fields, including air quality management, integrated water resources management, conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, waste management, climate change response, implementation of Sustainable Development Goals, and sustainable management of natural resources.