Strengthening Vietnam-S.Korea cooperation, exchanges discussed at GBF

Given South Korea and Vietnam's complementary roles, there is more room for bilateral cooperation between the two countries, said Vietnamese Ambassador to South Korea Nguyen Vu Tung on Wednesday.

"Vietnam and South Korea can formulate such a good partnership. With Vietnam's abundant labor forces, I bet South Korean companies will be able to enjoy a new wave of business opportunities based on their advanced technologies," said Tung at the Global Biz Forum held at Summit Gallery in southern Seoul.

Tung, who was named ambassador in 2020, stressed that the future of the two countries' relationship can be led by the private sector.

"In recent years, I saw the growing number of Vietnamese and South Koreans living in each other's country for various purposes such as education and employment. It could happen because there were a lot of incentives in the private sector. And, I believe there still remain many business opportunities."

In the following session, Yu Hyon-jun, a professor at Hongik University's architecture department, shed light on the importance of frequent human exchanges for social growth.

"Historically, human civilizations prospered only when enjoying high population density. This is because when more people gather, the more ideas they can produce, which leads to the overall growth in society," Yu explained.

Yu stressed that South Korea should build more public parks in order to trigger a new drive for national growth.

South Korea enjoyed rapid economic development in the 1970s when a large number of apartment complexes were built in Seoul, the city's capital where most of the development was concentrated, Yu said. Likewise, Korea installed tons of optical cables across the nation, creating an advanced internet infrastructure, which also allowed the information and telecommunication industry to flourish, he added.

"If we build more public parks, it will help everyday people, who are usually obsessed with mobile platforms which prevent them from interacting with others, in understanding each other and engaging in intellectual interactions. It will lead to more creative ideas as well as business opportunities," Yu said.

The forum came to a close with a presentation by Han Seung, head of the overseas development group at Daewoo E&C. Han also shared the builder's urban redevelopment plans in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Sixty-two CEOs participated in the forum, which was also attended by Rep. Kim Hack-yong of the People Power Party.

The forum is organized by The Korea Herald.