Minister of Public Security Gen. To Lam met the Republic of Korea (RoK)’s Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon and held talks with Commissioner General of the Korean National Police Agency (KNPA) Min Gap-ryong in Seoul on July 8.

Minister of Public Security To Lam (L) meets with PM Lee Nak-yeon
in Seoul on July 8 (Photo: VNA)

Welcoming the Vietnamese delegation’s official visit, PM Lee Nak-yeon expressed his delight at the fruitful cooperation between his country’s law enforcement agencies, including the KNPA, and the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security (MPS).

He voiced his hope that the two sides will continue enhancing cooperation, especially in fighting transnational crimes, drug crime and terrorism; work together to ensure security, safety, rights and legitimate interests of Vietnamese and Korean citizens living in each other’s countries; and coordinate to help improve the capacity of staff at Vietnam’s law enforcement bodies.

For his part, Minister Lam reiterated that Vietnam treasures the two countries’ strategic cooperative partnership, asking the RoK to continue sharing experience and promoting substantive cooperation in all fields.

The cooperation in ensuring security and order between the MPS and the RoK’s law enforcement agencies has gained positive outcomes, helping to ensuring peace and happiness for people. 

Regular delegation exchanges and bilateral meetings have been maintained, including the diplomatic – security – defence strategy dialogue, the security dialogue and the police cooperation conference at the deputy ministerial level. The MPS inked a cooperation agreement with the KNPA and a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in transnational crime fight with the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office of the RoK, he noted.

He added that traditional and non-traditional security issues, including terrorism, cybercrime, transnational crimes and migration, are likely to become complicated and threaten countries’ security. That requests security, police and law enforcement forces of both countries to strengthen coordination to make timely response.

Given this, Lam asked leaders of the RoK’s Government to create conditions for the countries’ law enforcement agencies to bolster result-oriented relations.

Also on July 8, Minister To Lam and KNPA Commissioner General Min Gap-ryong held talks.

At the event, they noted with satisfaction the flourishing ties between Vietnam and the RoK, adding that the MPS and the KNPA set up the official relationship in 2004 and signed a cooperation deal in 2005 to create a legal corridor for effective coordination in fighting crime and ensuring rights and legitimate interests of Koreans in Vietnam and Vietnamese in the RoK.

The officials shared the view that to enhance bilateral cooperation, the two sides need to build concrete plans to increase collaboration in drug crime combat, information and experience sharing, delegation exchange and personnel training. 

They should also keep working together to investigate cases involving hi-tech crime; train officers in combating hi-tech, drug and human trafficking crimes; and ensure security and safety for citizens of each other’s countries, according to the two officials.