Lee ends three-nation trip with greater-than-expected results

By Byun Duk-kun
JAKARTA, March 8 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak wrapped up his
official visit here Sunday after a week-long trip that officials said had more in
store for him than anyone had anticipated.
Lee's scheduled departure for Seoul later in the day will conclude his
three-nation trip that has also taken him to New Zealand and Australia.
The most visible achievement during the trip came in New Zealand and Australia
where the South Korean president and his counterparts announced the start of
official dialogue for concluding bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs) with the
countries.
"Basically, the trip sought to win a firm consent from the heads of these
countries on ways to fight the worldwide economic downturn and the decision to
start FTA negotiations with the two countries came as part of efforts to fight
trade protectionism and promote free trade," Kim Eun-hye, a spokeswoman for the
South Korean presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, told Yonhap.
A Korea-Australia FTA alone is expected to give billions of dollars worth of a
boost to both of the countries, whose bilateral trade already exceeds US$23
billion a year, according to Cheong Wa Dae officials.
Lee's most significant accomplishment in the trip, however, came from the very
fact that he was able to hold what the spokeswoman called "frank talks" with the
heads of the three countries and establish personal relationships with them.
"The president was able to win close diplomatic support for his economic revival
measures from the heads of state and a basis for future cooperation between the
countries," Kim said.
"Most of all, Lee's amicable relations with the heads of state made his summits
seem brighter than ever," she added.
Lee's new, but strong relationship with the heads of the countries was best
demonstrated in Canberra where he and Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd talked
for over two hours over beer in a private meeting following their state dinner,
which according to South Korean diplomats here defied just about every protocol
known.
His relaxed and personal approach toward Rudd has apparently allowed the
Australian prime minister to ask a question he otherwise would have avoided --
how to lead his economy out of the global economic crisis.
The almost exact same question was repeated by Indonesian President Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono when Lee, a former CEO of South Korea's Hyundai Group, arrived
here Friday for a summit, according to officials.
The three countries have agreed to draw up a common proposal for the rest of the
world on ways to deal with what they called "toxic assets" in the financial
market that will largely depend on Seoul's experience with bad assets during the
Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s and Lee's personal views, they said.
"This means Korea is now, in fact, in a position where it can play a leading role
in bridging the gap between the developed and emerging countries ahead of the
G-20 London summit in April," Kim, the spokeswoman, said.
Lee's trip also helped expand Seoul's ties with the countries in various other
fields, including security and defense industry.
Lee and Rudd issued a joint statement on enhanced security cooperation, in which
the leaders agreed to hold annual foreign ministerial talks and increase their
joint efforts to halt proliferation of weapons of mass destruction through
various international organizations.
Seoul and Jakarta also signed a letter of intention on the sidelines of the
Lee-Yudhoyono summit Friday that will give South Korea hundreds of millions of
dollars in exchange for joint development of a new fighter aircraft for the
Southeast Asian nation.
The trip also marked the launch of what the South Korean president calls a "new
Asia initiative," an ambitious plan under which Seoul seeks to significantly
improve its ties with all nations in the region.
bdk@yna.co.kr
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