Gwangju, South Korea, Feb 27, 2019 / 15:01 pm
As U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un meet in Vietnam this week, a South Korean archbishop sees the host country as a model for the development of economic and religious freedoms in the isolated country.
Archbishop Hyginus Kim Hee-jung of Gwangju expressed hope for the Feb. 27-28 meeting between Kim and Trump, which kicked off Wednesday night with a dinner in Hanoi and will continue Thursday to negotatiate the potential denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.
"The Vietnam-style reform and open model of 'doi moi' in North Korea, which itself has declared economic development to be a top priority, is the optimal way to pursue economic growth," Archbishop Kim has said.
"Doi moi" refers to Vietnam's process of economic liberalization that began in 1986.