The Korea Forest Service met with its Vietnamese counterparts on Monday for the seventh Korea-Vietnam forest partnership conference held at the Korea Forest Research Institute in Seoul.

Officially titled “Seventh Meeting of Korea-Vietnam Forestry Cooperative Committee,” the conference invited both nations to discuss ways to attract Korean investment in Vietnamese forestry.

Beyong strengthening government promotion for active investment, the 20 participants agreed to give greater authority to the Asia Forest Cooperation Organization, or AFoCO, as well as to enhance collaborative research for the conservation of forest biodiversity, take measures to enhance the production capacity of Vietnamese forests, and create more forestry specialists.

The seventh Korea-Vietnam meeting came two days before the grand opening of AFoCO, the world’s first international organization of forestry. Leaders of state-run forest ministries from Korea and ASEAN member countries gathered in Seoul to attend the global forest conference.

By Chung Joo-won (joowonc@heraldcorp.com)