1. The 1st 「ROK-Viet Nam Maritime Dialogue」 was held in Hanoi, Viet Nam, on March 15. The Dialogue was co-chaired by Mr. Kim Dong-bae, Director-General for ASEAN and Southeast Asian Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Ambassador Trinh Duc Hai, Vice Chairman of the National Boundary Commission of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam.

2. The 「ROK-Viet Nam Maritime Dialogue」 aims to strengthen substantive maritime cooperation specified in the 「Action Plan on the Implementation of Comprehensive Strategic Partnership」, signed during the state visit of President Yoon Suk Yeol to Viet Nam in June last year. The two countries agreed to establish the Dialogue at the 5th 「ROK-Viet Nam Strategic Dialogue on Foreign Affairs and Security」 held in November last year. This is the third time Korea has launched a bilateral maritime dialogue, following those with China and the Philippines.

3. About 30 officials of the ROK and Vietnamese delegations attended the Dialogue. The ROK side includes officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, the Ministry of National Defense, the Navy headquarters, and KOICA. The Vietnamese side includes officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. For sustainable and peaceful maritime development and use, the two sides shared views about major policies regarding ▴ocean economy ▴marine environment ▴cooperation on maritime safety and security and ▴regional and multilateral maritime-related agenda, as well as areas of interest for cooperation, and discussed ways to enhance substantive cooperation.

4. In particular, the Korean delegation introduced ways to strengthen cooperation in the maritime sector between Korea and ASEAN, based on the Indo-Pacific Strategy and the Korea-ASEAN Solidarity Initiative (KASI). Furthermore, the Korean side stated that Korea intends to diversify maritime-related cooperation at the bilateral and multilateral levels with Viet Nam and other ASEAN countries through establishing the ‘ROK-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,’ celebrating the 35th anniversary of the ROK-ASEAN dialogue relations this year.

5. On ocean economy and the marine environment, the Korean delegation introduced Korea’s blue economy strategy, which focuses on responding to climate change, promoting sustainable fisheries, preserving the marine environment, and nurturing human resources, and hoped to strengthen mutually-beneficial maritime cooperation with Viet Nam under this strategy. In order to successfully promote Viet Nam's national maritime strategy, 「Strategy for the Sustainable Exploitation and Use of Natural Resources and Protection of the Marine and Island Environment to 2030, with a Vision to 2050」, the Vietnamese side hoped to strengthen cooperation with Korea, which has strengths in maritime industries such as shipping, port development, fisheries and aquaculture productivity improvement, and marine manpower training. In addition, the two sides agreed to promote cooperation in strengthening maritime waste management capabilities and to communicate closely to explore specific projects.

6. They shared the view that the establishment of a peaceful maritime order based on rules is directly linked to the interests of Korea and Viet Nam, considering that both sides are maritime nations and open trading countries, and agreed to continue strengthening cooperation in joint training, and search and rescue. They also shared their countries’ policies in areas such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and marine science and technology, and discussed issues of mutual interests.

7. On the regional and multilateral maritime-related agenda, the Korean side shared trends in North Korea's illegal activities, especially in the maritime sector, and emphasized the need for close cooperation of the international community to implement the UN Security Council's resolutions on sanctions against North Korea. The two sides also emphasized that the South China Sea, as a key maritime transportation route in the region, is important for regional peace, stability, and prosperity, and agreed to continue cooperation with regional countries to ensure freedom of navigation and overflight in the region and strengthen the rules-based maritime order based on international law.

8. The next ROK-Viet Nam maritime dialogue will take place in Korea. Both sides agreed to continue to closely communicate so that the Dialogue can develop into an exemplary maritime cooperation platform that contributes to the development of the Korea-Viet Nam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and the realization of a free, peaceful, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region.