National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan (L) and Busan Mayor Oh Keo-don (Source: VNA)

During a reception in Busan city on December 4 for its Mayor Oh Keo-don, Ngan said Vietnam attaches great importance to its ties with the RoK as the two countries share historical and cultural similarities. 

She stressed the need to promote ties between the two countries’ localities outside of governmental and parliamentary links. 
Lauding cooperative ties between Busan and Ho Chi Minh City over the past two decades, Ngan expressed her delight at the fact that one fourth of Korean investors in Vietnam come from Busan. 
The leader hailed the RoK as one of the top trade and investment partners of Vietnam, adding that Vietnam is interested in small- and medium-sized enterprises, wishing that more Busan businesspeople would invest in fields of Vietnam’s demand. 
According to Ngan, the number of Vietnamese people living and working in the RoK is equivalent to the total Korean population in Vietnam. As well as locality-to-locality cooperation, she called for stepping up people-to-people exchange. 
Expressing her thanks to Busan authorities for providing positive support for Vietnamese nationals in the locality, she hailed Busan for its preparations for the establishment of a support centre for Vietnam-RoK families. 
Along with refining legal regulations and creating a fair business environment for foreign firms, Vietnam also advocates a policy of protecting foreign citizens, including Koreans, in the country. 
Mayor Oh Keo-don, for his part, thanked the top Vietnamese legislator for choosing Busan as the first destination during her trip. He said that the Busan people love Vietnam and its people, and that there are many Vietnamese people living and working in the locality. 
He expressed his belief that Vietnam will further thrive and that both countries should partner up for mutual development.