Presidential envoys head to Colombia, Brazil and Paraguay

SEOUL, Jan. 25 (Yonhap) -- A delegation of South Korea's ruling party lawmakers
embarked on a three-nation trip to Latin America on Monday as special envoys of
President Lee Myung-bak, the foreign ministry said.
Representatives Kim Jung-hoon and Kim Sung-sik of the ruling Grand National Party
were to arrive in Colombia later Monday (Colombia time) to take part in a
ceremony marking the 200th anniversary of Columbia's independence, the ministry
said.
The lawmakers will then visit Brazil on a two-day trip from Wednesday to meet
with the country's legislators and request support for South Korean businesses
there.
They will also visit Paraguay, where they are scheduled to meet with Miguel
Carrizosa, chief of staff of President Lopez Perito, and other officials and
lawmakers to discuss ways to strengthen ties between their countries, the
ministry said in a press release.
The trip by the presidential envoys comes as Seoul is working to improve its ties
with Latin America through bilateral and multilateral channels.
Paraguay's Foreign Minister Hector Lacognata and the top diplomats of El Salvador
and Costa Rica visited Seoul last week for bilateral talks with their South
Korean counterpart, Yu Myung-hwan.
Seoul is also working to hold a special summit this year between its president
and the leaders of the Central American Integration System, a group of seven
South American countries better known as SICA.
Rep. Lee Sang-deuk of the ruling party, who is the president's older brother,
also led a three-member delegation last week to Bolivia to attend the
inauguration of President Evo Morales Ayma, who was elected to his second
presidential term in December.
"The special delegation held a meeting with President Morales on Saturday to
deliver a personal letter from President Lee, in which the president expressed
hope for an improved relationship between the two countries, along with economic
growth and the development of Bolivia's democracy during President Morales'
presidential term," the ministry said.
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