S. Korean prime minister arrives in Czech Republic for economic talks

PRAGUE, April 21 (Yonhap) -- South Korean Prime Minister Han Seung-soo will meet in Prague Tuesday with Czech leaders for discussions on strengthening economic ties and other bilateral issues.

Han, who arrived here on Monday from Germany after attending the Hanover Fair, an
engineering trade show, is scheduled to meet President Vaclav Klaus and Prime
Minister Mirek Topolanek later in the day to discuss ways to boost two-way trade,
investment and other economic cooperation.
The South Korean prime minister is also expected to request the Czech Republic
play an active role in Seoul's bid to successfully conclude ongoing free trade
agreement negotiations with the European Union (EU). The Czech Republic currently
holds the rotating presidency of the EU Council, and attendant responsibility for
managing the EU's decision-making council.
South Korea, Asia's fourth-largest economy, and the EU, the world's
single-largest economic bloc, started the FTA talks in May 2007. Last month, the
two sides said they had reached a tentative "provisional" agreement on a free
trade deal.
On Monday, Han met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Hanover and agreed to
seek ways for both countries to cooperate in promoting "green growth," or
environmentally-friendly economic developments.
Both sides also warned against a pervasion of protectionist sentiment in light of
a global economic contraction, while stressing the importance of preserving open
market trade. They also agreed to boost diplomatic cooperation in efforts to
dismantle North Korea's nuclear program.
Han is scheduled to depart for Slovakia on Wednesday and go on to visit the
Netherlands before returning to South Korea later this week.