Vietnam, S. Korea to Expand Cooperation in Addressing Post-War Consequences

Vietnam’s Deputy Defense Minister Sen. Lieut. Gen Nguyen Chi Vinh hosted a reception in Hanoi on February 5 for out-going director of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) in Vietnam Kim Jin-oh. At the meeting, the two sides reviewed cooperation between Vietnam and South Korea in addressing post-war consequences in Vietnam, including a 20-million-USD project funded by the South Korean government to clean up areas contaminated with mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) in the central provinces of Quang Binh and Binh Dinh, and another for detoxifying the dioxin-polluted area in Da Nang airport. Vinh appreciated Kim’s contributions to and the role by KOICA in promoting the Vietnam-South Korea cooperation over the past three years. The two sides agreed to continuously enhance cooperation in the coming time, focusing on expanding the project to Quang Nam and Quang Tri, and implement a technical assistance project to detoxify dioxin-contaminated areas at A Sho airport in the central province of Thua Thien - Hue. The South Korean side promised to assist Vietnam in personnel training and improving capacity to build databases in the work, thus effectively addressing consequences of wartime toxic chemicals and UXO. (Quan Doi Nhan Dan, Vietnam Plus)