Kim Yun-deok meets Vietnamese construction minister on Wednesday

Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Kim Yun-deok (right) meets Tran Hong Minh, Vietnam's minister of construction, at the Korea Land and Infrastructure Development Exhibition Hall in Seoul on Wednesday afternoon, conveying his hope for concrete cooperation between the two countries on Vietnam's North-South High-Speed Railway project. The two ministers pose for a photo after the meeting. [Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport]
Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Kim Yun-deok (right) meets Tran Hong Minh, Vietnam's minister of construction, at the Korea Land and Infrastructure Development Exhibition Hall in Seoul on Wednesday afternoon, conveying his hope for concrete cooperation between the two countries on Vietnam's North-South High-Speed Railway project. The two ministers pose for a photo after the meeting. [Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport]

"I hope the two countries can pursue more concrete cooperation on the North-South High-Speed Railway project."

Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Kim Yun-deok conveyed that message Wednesday afternoon when he met Tran Hong Minh, Vietnam's minister of construction, at the Korea Land and Infrastructure Development Exhibition Hall in Seoul, in discussions centered on the North-South High-Speed Railway construction project.

Kim asked for the Vietnamese government's attention and cooperation to allow South Korean public institutions and companies — which have accumulated experience in high-speed rail design, construction, operation and technology development — to participate actively from the feasibility study stage onward.

He also stressed that "Korea has developed smart cities in response to urban growth and changing transportation demand," adding that he hoped "Korea's policy experience, through cooperative projects such as the K-City Network, can help support the development of Vietnam's rapidly growing urban and transportation sectors."

Kim added that he looked forward to expanding people-to-people exchanges between the two countries through a master's program in infrastructure development policy capacity-building, in which Vietnam has expressed interest. The program draws civil servants from around the world, and graduates return to work in their home countries, where the program has established itself as a channel for building close networks with the South Korean government and businesses.

The Vietnamese side responded positively, saying visits to smart city and intelligent transportation system sites during the Korea trip had been impressive, and that Vietnam welcomes South Korean companies' participation as infrastructure demand grows sharply amid the country's administrative restructuring.

Vietnam is one of South Korea's top three trading partners and its leading ASEAN partner in overseas construction. The two countries are jointly pursuing a range of infrastructure development projects, including a new town development project in the southeast and a rolling stock supply project for the Ho Chi Minh City metro.


smh@heraldcorp.com