KOREA FOUNDATION

The Korea Foundation extended an invitation to a delegation of 34 senior-level Vietnamese officials, headed by the country's deputy prime minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, who visited Korea from January 19-23, 2014. The visit represents an opportunity to further develop relations between the two countries. The deputy prime minister and delegation members visited various ministries - the Ministry of Security and Public Administration, Defense Ministry, Justice Ministry, and Ministry of Strategy and Finance - and paid courtesy calls on Korea's Deputy Prime Minister and Speaker of the National Assembly, to discuss practical efforts to strengthen two - way cooperation. The visit is intended to follow up on details related to formation of a strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries, which was proposed by Korean President Park Geun-hye during her visit to Vietnam in September 2013. This kind of personal contact between government officials can contribute significantly to the exchange of information and the initiation of working relationships.