NEAR Secretary-General Lim Byung-jin visited the Embassy of Vietnam in Korea and had a meeting with Vu Ho, Vietnamese Ambassador to Korea on September 14 (Monday).
Secretary-General Lim expressed his appreciation to Ambassador Vu Ho for taking the time to meet despite his busy schedule. He introduced NEAR, its organizational structure, its recent activities, associate membership system, and the current status of associate membership among Central and Southeast Asian countries under the NEAR+2 policy.
He also emphasized that Vietnam is an important country in Southeast Asia, with active exchanges and cooperation with Korean regional governments, and plays a key role in connecting cooperation between Northeast and Southeast Asian countries.
Secretary-General Lim requested the Embassy of Vietnam’s interest and support in encouraging the active participation of Ho Chi Minh City, which is currently a NEAR associate member, in NEAR activities, as well as facilitating the additional membership of three to four other Vietnamese regional governments as NEAR associate members.
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In response, Ambassador Vu Ho expressed agreement on the crucial role of multilateral exchange and cooperation mechanisms like NEAR in promoting exchanges and cooperation among regional governments, as well as the need to strengthen connectivity between them.
Regarding measures to strengthen connectivity between regional governments in Northeast Asia and ASEAN countries, he suggested that the NEAR Secretariat explore cooperation with the ASEAN Governors and Mayors Forum (AGMF, whose secretariat is hosted by UCLG ASPAC).
Regarding Ho Chi Minh City's active participation in NEAR activities and other regional governments joining as NEAR associate members, he noted that given Vietnam's unique political and administrative characteristics, rather than the Embassy directly recommending specific regional governments, it would be better for the NEAR Secretariat to choose candidate regions centered around regional governments maintaining friendly relations with Gyeongsangbuk-do, with the Embassy providing support as appropriate. He added that he would pay closer attention to NEAR moving forward.
Meanwhile, Ambassador Vu Ho is a career diplomat who graduated from Vietnam National University, Hanoi, and has served as Deputy Consul General - Deputy Chief of Mission, Consulate General of Viet Nam in Houston, the United States as well as Deputy Director-General and Director-General of the ASEAN Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam, before taking office as Vietnamese Ambassador to Korea in March 2024. Ambassador Vu Ho's father is the renowned Vietnamese diplomat and former Deputy Prime Minister Vu Khoan, who played a significant role in the establishment of diplomatic relations between South Korea and Vietnam in the early 1990s.