-The Ministry of Education (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, KIM Sang-kon) visited Hanoi, Vietnam from 13-15 December 2017, in celebration of the 25th anniversay of the Korea-Vietnam formal diplomatic ties.

Deputy Prime Minister KIM met with Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam of Vietnam, and together they attended the first Korea-Vietnam Global HR Forum.

The Deputy Prime Minister KIM also visited the Korean International School in Hanoi and Viet Duc High School to see the actual school site and meet faculty members.

[Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam]

-On December 14th, Deputy Prime Minister KIM had a bilateral meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam of Vietnam in order to discuss issues with regard to Korea-Vietnam's education cooperation.

They both acknowledged that Korea-Vietnam's education cooperation and HR exchanges have proliferated since 1992, in which they decided to further expand in accordance with the aim of the previously agreed one hundred thousand million dollar trade deal by 2020.

Deputy Prime Minister KIM and Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam also agreed to further develop the two countries' links in student/teacher exchanges, ICT, and higher education.

In addition, Deputy Prime Minister KIM requested Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam to implement Korean in the secondary school curriculum and as a subject for the college entrance exam, and the Vietnamese side agreed to positively review this matter.

The Korean side, on the other hand, agreed to support Vietnamese major and promote Vietnamese education in Korean schools comprised of a high number of students from Korean-Vietnamese families in order to invigorate Vietnamese education in Korea.

The two Ministers agreed to alternately hold a joint education committee to advance Korea-Vietnam's education cooperation and to annually host the Korea-Vietnam Global HR Forum.

[Korea-Vietnam Global HR Forum]

-Deputy Prime Minister KIM attended the formal dinner and the opening ceremony of the first Korea-Vietnam Global HR Forum.

The Korea-Vietnam Global HR Forum was held from 14-15 December 2017, co-hosted by the Korean Ministry of Education, the Vietnam Ministry of Education and Training, and the Korean Economic Daily.

The theme of this year's forum was "From the Miracle of the Han River to the Miracle of the Red River," in which about 250 people from universities and industries attended and discussed about nurturing future talent and HR exchanges.

-Deputy Prime Minister KIM addressed in his welcoming remark, "I believe the Korea-Vietnam Global HR Forum held in celebration of the Korea-Vietnam's 25 years of formal diplomatic ties is imperative to further strengthen the two countries' relations and to serve as a platform for nurturing global talent."

He further noted, "I aspire that the Korea-Vietnam Global HR Forum will expand the two countries' cooperation in the social, economic, and cultural fields."

[Korean International School in Hanoi]

-Deputy Prime Minister KIM delievered a message to encourage the faculty members of the Korean International School in Hanoi, and discussed several issues including the increased demand of overseas Korean education in Vietnam due to the Korean industry making inroades into the world market.

The Korean International School in Hanoi started with 52 students in 2006, which now has about 1,500 students, and the school is considered the second largest among 32 Korean International Schools worldwide.

In addition, the increased demand for overseas Korean education is expected to grow in line with Korea's HR exchanges and cooperation with Vietnam, in addition to the continuous growth of overseas Koreans residing in Vietnam.

-Deputy Prime Minister KIM expressed his appreciation to students and parents of the Korean International International School in Hanoi for their commitment to promote overseas Korean education.

Moreover, he emphasized that "the Korean government will spare no effort to support the school and respond appropriately to the increased demand."

[Viet Duc High School]

-Deputy Prime Minister visited Viet Duc High School, located in Hanoi, to observe the Korean classroom and encourage teachers who teach Korean.

Due to the increased exchanges between Korea and Vietnam, Vietnam has piloted Korean as a second language in a number of middle schools since 2016.

[Outcomes]

Deputy Prime Minister KIM said, "through this visit to Vietnam, I realized that Korea and Vietnam has built a close relationship in various fields," and added, "both countries will work toward finding practical ways to further promote education cooperation."

*unofficial translation