PRES. LEE HOSTS HIS VIETNAMESE COUNTERPART TO LAM

Hello and welcome to Press Perspective for this Monday August 11th here in Seoul.

I'm Min Sunhee.

The leaders of South Korea and Vietnam sat down for their first summit earlier this morning and for details on that meeting I have Steven Borowiec with Japanese weekly news magazine Nikkei Asia.

Steven hope you had a good weekend.

I also have freelance journalist Michael Tatarski based in Vietnam live on the line.

Michael it's a pleasure.

Steven, let's begin with details of what has been disclosed about the discussions during the summit between President Lee Jae Myung and his Vietnamese counterpart To Lam.

Steven, the Vietnamese leader's agenda here in South Korea also includes active interaction with corporate leaders. What's the latest on that front?

And Michael, what can you share with us about the response there in Vietnam with regard to this state trip to South Korea by its leader?

Steven, in an interview with Vietnamese state-run news agency VNA, President Lee Jae Myung, among other aspects, highlighted the bilateral partnership on the trade front. For the sake of context, do tell us a bit about the economic cooperation between the two countries.

Michael, staying with that interview, what would you choose to highlight as some of the other key takeaways from the comments shared by President Lee Jae Myung?

Steven, President Lee says "people-to-people exchanges between the two countries form the bedrock of deeper ties." Do tell us more.

Michael, simply speaking, what are the diplomatic implications of this state trip for the Vietnamese leader keeping in mind the current state of geopolitics and trade amid Mr. Trump's approach to ties with America's partners?

And Steven, what is the significance of this first summit on the home ground for President Lee?

Michael, Vietnam is poised to host the annual APEC forum in 2027. What do you suppose will it seek to take away from South Korea's hosting of the event later this year?

Steven, what factors, do you believe, look to determine the success of this multilateral economic gathering for South Korea?

All right.