PRESIDENT RETURNING HOME FROM SOUTH KOREA

Jeju, South Korea, June 2 (ANTARA) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Tuesday left Jeju Island, South Korea, after a three-day visit to attend a summit commemorating the 20th anniversary of ASEAN-South Korea relations.

President Yudhoyono and First Lady Ani Yudhoyono departed from Jeju International Airport at around 11 a.m local time and were expected to arrive at Halim Perdanakesuma airport, east Jakarta, at 5 p.m on the same day.

During his working visit in Jeju, the head of state held bilateral meetings with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tam Dung and South Korean President Lee Myun Bak.

Speaking at a bilateral meeting with Yudhoyono here on Monday, Myun Bak expressed sincere gratitude for the presence of the Indonesian head of state at the summit amid his intensive activities ahead of Indonesia's presidential election in July.

President Yudhoyono said that Indonesian-South Korean bilateral relations so far had improved , especially after the signing of a "Strategic Partnership" agreement between the two countries.

"After the signing of the Strategic Partnership agreement, our bilateral relations have become better and better. Our trade relations have also increased with their value recorded at US$19.3 billion in 2008, and we hope it will continue to increase," Yudhoyono said.

Meanwhile, at a bilateral meeting between President Yudhoyono and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tam Dung here on Monday, the governments of Indonesia and Vietnam agreed to conduct joint sea patrols to prevent illegal fishing by Vietnamese fishermen in Indonesian waters.

Presidential spokesman Dino Patti Djalal said Yudhoyono and Tam Dung had agreed that the joint sea patrols between the two countries would be implemented soon.

The two leaders also agreed on ways to deal with Vietnamese fishermen who frequently poach in Indonesian waters by giving them legal understanding about the boundaries of the two countries' territorial waters.