By Kayla Lee

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A delegation of the Gyeongsangnam-do Provincial Assembly visited the Vientiane Provincial Government Office in Laos and signed a friendship exchange agreement for friendship and mutual cooperation on Nov. 2.
 

The signing took place at the Vientiane Provincial Government Office Building in Vientiane, Laos, where 11 members of the Gyeongnam Provincial Assembly, including Speaker Kim Jin-bu, visited the government building on behalf of the Gyeongnam Provincial Assembly.

This event was proposed at a meeting with the Vientiane Provincial Assembly during the Parliamentary Steering Committee's overseas trip in December 2022, and the Parliamentary Steering Committee conveyed the intention of the Vientiane Provincial Assembly to the Speaker after returning home, and suggested promoting friendly exchanges with Vientiane Province of Laos through a meeting with the Governor of Gyeongnam Province, resulting in the signing of the agreement through the efforts of both organizations.

The agreement states that the Gyeongsangnam-do Provincial Assembly and the Vientiane Provincial Assembly will promote close friendship based on mutual respect and trust, and strive to actively conduct exchanges in various fields such as people-to-people, cultural and economic exchanges.

In addition, as a result of the visit of the provincial council steering committee and the meeting with the governor, 558 Lao seasonal workers have entered the country since the signing of the MOU between Gyeongsangnam-do and Laos, and are working in farms in five cities and counties, including Milyang City, and are gradually expanding. In addition, the first public dormitory for foreign seasonal workers in the country was selected for the establishment in Geochang.

In particular, Vientiane Province in Laos is very interested in Korea's Saemaul movement and agricultural technology, and has many resources such as forests, so we are looking forward to mutual help in the long run.

At the event, Speaker Kim Jin-bu said, "It is meaningful to start exchanges with new countries. We expect that close regional exchanges through parliamentary cooperation will play a big role in opening up a hopeful future for both regions."

Laos, meanwhile, is a people's democratic republic, and diplomatic relations with South Korea were severed on July 24, 1975, following Laos' communization, but were reestablished on October 25, 1995.

In 2019, the number of Korean tourists exceeded 200,000, making it a popular travel destination for Koreans. In particular, Vientiane Province is an area surrounding the capital city of Vientiane, with an area of 1/6 of Gyeongnam (1,592.7㎢) and a population of 1/7 (482,000), and compared to other provinces in Laos, the overall infrastructure is well equipped and the city has an agricultural-oriented industrial structure.