Lee returns home after trip to North and Latin America By Yoo Cheong-mo

SEOUL, Nov. 25 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Myung-bak returned home on Tuesday night after a 12-day trip to North and Latin America, during which he attended the Group of 20 financial summit in Washington D.C. and the annual Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Peru.

At the G-20 and APEC summits, Lee urged global leaders to spurn trade
protectionism and expand spending in order to bring about a speedy recovery from
the ongoing financial crisis.
The president made an official and state visit to Brazil and Peru, respectively,
between the two multilateral summit events, seeking to boost bilateral relations
with the resource-rich Latin American countries.
On the sidelines of APEC, Lee held a series of bilateral summit talks with his
counterparts from the U.S., Colombia, Singapore and Chile to discuss the spread
of free trade deals among the Pacific Rim countries.
Lee also held a tripartite summit with U.S. President George W. Bush and Japanese
Prime Minister Taro Aso in Peru for discussions on closer policy coordination on
the denuclearization of North Korea.
Lee made a one-night stopover in Los Angeles on his way back home.
The president was originally scheduled to arrive in Seoul on Wednesday morning
but cut short his schedule by one day in consideration of protracted financial
turmoil at home.