By Reporter Anna Kim

President Yoon Suk-yeol visited the 'Korea-Vietnam Partnership Fair' held on June 22 on the occasion of his state visit to Vietnam.

The fair featured a variety of events, including the K-Industry Showcase, which allowed visitors to experience the products of Korean companies; the Trade Consultation, which matched Korean companies interested in entering Vietnam with Vietnamese buyers; the Young Tech Startup Grand Challenge, which identified outstanding startups from the ASEAN region that want to start a business in Korea; and the K-Food Festival, which promoted Korean and Vietnamese fusion food.

First, the President toured the K-Industry Showcase, which featured nine large companies familiar to the Vietnamese public and five small and medium-sized enterprises challenging the local market, and experienced Korean products and services with Vietnamese visitors, including the Hyundai IONIC5, Hanwha Nuri launch demonstration, LG Omnipod (autonomous vehicle interior electronics system), and the OKCSE platform (online trading of used motorcycles in Vietnam).

He then stopped by the Trade Consultation, where more than 100 Korean small and medium-sized enterprises and 200 Vietnamese companies participated, encouraging businesses from both countries to create a growing future with new trade opportunities. Korean companies from various service sectors such as new technologies, smart farms, and edutech, as well as consumer goods such as food, cosmetics, and apparel, participated in the consultation and held heated discussions with Vietnamese buyers.

President Yoon also visited the 'Young Tech Startup Grand Challenge', which aims to discover excellent startup items from ASEAN youths, including those from Vietnam, and help them realize their dreams in Korea, to support their dreams and challenges. The President encouraged the Vietnamese and ASEAN young entrepreneurs who participated in the event, saying that the youth generation is more specialized in innovation through international solidarity.

Finally, at the K-Food Festival, the President tasted 'Kimchi Banh Mi', a typical Vietnamese dish of banh mi with fried kimchi, with Vietnamese youth. He also had a conversation with Vietnamese youth who were enjoying Korean food such as tteokbokki and asked them to love K-Food even more.

The government plans to actively support Korean companies in close coordination with the Vietnamese government in order to translate the dynamism of bilateral trade confirmed at the Korea-Vietnam Partnership Fair into concrete results and create more active exchanges between future generations.