Seoul seeks to strengthen ties with Southeast Asian nations

SEOUL, Feb. 27 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will focus on strengthening its ties with Southeast Asian nations this year as the country moves to deal with various regional issues such as the North Korean nuclear threat and the financial crisis, the presidential office said Friday.

President Lee Myung-bak is set to visit Indonesia next week as part of efforts to
improve ties with the 10 member nations of the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN), according to Kim Eun-hye, a spokeswoman for the presidential
office Cheong Wa Dae.
The call for a renewed approach toward the region came at a meeting between
President Lee and his policy advisers for international affairs.
"There were many suggestions that we must pay more attention to our relations
with Southeast Asian nations and strengthen our ties with the countries," Kim
told reporters after the meeting attended by nine presidential advisers,
including Han Sung-joo, a former ambassador to the United States, and Ha
Young-sun, an international relations professor from Seoul National University.
The president is set to embark on a three-nation trip Monday that will also take
him to New Zealand and Australia.
"The meeting also focused on regional security issues that concern Australia, New
Zealand and Indonesia before the president visits the countries next week," the
Cheong Wa Dae spokeswoman said.
bdk@yna.co.kr
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