South Korea Continues to Support Vietnam in Environmental Protection

South Korea will support in environment protection to Vietnam, mostly in biodiversity conservation and sustainable use of biological resources, officials said at the 11th Vietnam-South Korea Environment Minister Conference on Oct 27. The two sides led by Vietnamese Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Nguyen Minh Quang and his counterpart Yoon Seong-kyu reached an agreement at the event held in Ho Chi Minh City. During the talks, the two ministers agreed to further mutual cooperation in the management of national parks and wildlife sanctuaries in line with the “Nagoya Protocol.” Currently, South Korea is helping Vietnam conduct five environmental cooperation projects, including one for developing an automatic water-quality monitoring system. Vietnam has pledged to create more business opportunities in this sector for South Korean firms. In addition, the two sides decided to expand cooperation in sectors such as weather, joint research on the purification of dioxin-contaminated soils and education of environmental officials. South Korea is also one of countries financing Vietnam in climate change response over the past years. The Export-Import Bank of Korea (KEXIM) funded the Southeast Asian country $90 million for climate change projects since 2009. (Thoi Bao Kinh Te Viet Nam – Vietnam Economic Times Oct 29 p4)