Hanoi: National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik has met with Vietnam's top leader in Hanoi and asked for the country's support for South Korean companies and the easing of tensions on the Korean Peninsula, according to officials Saturday. During his meeting with To Lam, general secretary of Vietnam's Communist Party, Woo requested Vietnam help ease funding requirements for Korean companies participating in energy-related projects in the Southeast Asian country, among other support.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Woo also requested Vietnam play a greater role in bringing peace to the Korean Peninsula, highlighting Vietnam's position as a country that has "deep relations" with both South and North Korea. In response, Lam said Vietnam will work to swiftly address concerns from Korean firms and agreed to deliver messages from South Korea and others to North Korea to promote inter-Korean dialogue.
Before the meeting, Woo met with Vietnam's President Luong Cuong to express his gratitude for Vietnam's participation in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) gathering held last month in South Korea's southeastern city of Gyeongju. He also asked Vietnam to provide more opportunities for exchanges with Korean companies. Cuong said he will order government agencies to hold swift negotiations with Korean companies while adding that Vietnam is ready to play a "mediator" role in promoting peace on the Korean Peninsula.