Vietnamese and South Korean Presidents reaffirm the importance of maintaining peace, stability, safety, and freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea. (Photo: VOV)

The statement was made during Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s 2-day visit to South Korea, as the two leaders agreed to upgrade their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

President Phuc and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol affirmed the principle of peaceful settlement of disputes on the basis of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

They requested relevant parties to exercise restraint and not take unilateral actions to militarize, change the status quo, or complicate the situation in the East Sea; effectively and fully implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC).

The two leaders emphasized the importance of early reaching an effective and substantive Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) in line with international law, especially UNCLOS.