Lee begins trip to Latin America

SAO PAULO, Nov. 17 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak arrived in
Sao Paulo from the U.S. on Monday, beginning his four-day Brazilian visit
designed to improve bilateral relations in energy and overall economic fields.
Lee attended the Group of 20 financial summit and met with top policy advisers of
U.S. President-elect Barack Obama in Washington D.C. over the weekend.
In Sao Paulo, Brazil's largest city, Lee will attend a luncheon of Korean and
Brazilian business leaders before meeting separately with South Korean residents
here and the governor of Sao Paulo, according to the presidential spokesman.
Lee will fly to Brasilia, the capital city, on Tuesday. He will hold summit talks
with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Wednesday for discussions
on expanding bilateral cooperation in the fields of resources, infrastructure
expansion and agriculture, according to presidential spokesman Lee Dong-kwan.
Measures to deepen bilateral cooperation in overcoming the global financial
crisis will also be on the agenda, said the spokesman.
At the G-20 summit, Korea and Brazil were selected together with Britain as a
troika of moderator countries to play a leading role in preparing policy agendas
for the next G-20 summit slated for April in London.
Following his Brazilian trip, President Lee plans to visit the Peruvian capital
of Lima for a state visit and to attend the annual APEC summit from Thursday to
Sunday.
ycm@yna.co.kr
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