South Korea will donate more than 1 million COVID-19 vaccines to Vietnam in October |
The commitment was made at President Moon Jae-in's summit with Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc on the framework of the United Nations General Assembly, as reported by Korea Herald.
According to Park Kyung-mee, spokesperson of the South Korean Blue House, this was the country's first direct commitment of COVID-19 vaccine donation to a foreign country. The decision was made as South Korea and Vietnam had collaborated from the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak by sharing resources.
Since upgrading ties to a strategic cooperative relationship in 2009, the two countries have deepened cooperation in numerous fields, according to Moon and Phuc. Moon expected bilateral trade to reach $100 billion by 2023.
A large number of Korean companies in the biopharmaceutical, infrastructure, and banking sectors have been seeking development in the Vietnamese market, which Moon believes requires sustained attention and support from the two nations.
Both leaders also committed to strengthening bilateral relations in anticipation of the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations next year.
Indeed, Korean groups including the likes of Samsung, LG, CJ, and SK Group have contributed millions of dollars to Vietnam’s COVID-19 vaccine fund with a view to helping the country fight against the pandemic.
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