Lee embarks on Southeast Asian tour

By Byun Duk-kun
SEOUL, Oct. 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak left for Vietnam
Tuesday on the first leg of a three-nation tour that will also take him to
Cambodia and Thailand for bilateral summits and a regional forum.
Lee was to meet with Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet on Wednesday,
according to the South Korean presidential office Cheong Wa Dae. Afterward Lee
will hold talks with the Vietnamese prime minister, Nguyen Tan Dung, and the
secretary-general of Vietnam's Communist Party, Nong Duc Manh.
"President Lee and President Triet will review the progress of their countries'
bilateral relations since the normalization of diplomatic ties in 1992 and
consult on ways to strengthen cooperation in economic, trade, social and
cultural sectors," Cheong Wa Dae said of the upcoming summit.
The South Korean president will also give a special lecture to a group of young
Vietnamese students and hold a meeting with local Korean residents during his
three-day visit.
His trip comes as part of South Korea's efforts to strengthen ties with the rest
of Asia, under the so-called "New Asia Initiative" announced in March during
Lee's visit to Indonesia, a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN).
The South Korean leader hosted the heads of all 10 ASEAN economies in a special
summit held in Korea's southern resort island of Jeju in June.
In Cambodia, Lee will hold talks with Prime Minister Hun Sen following his visit
to Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni, according to Cheong Wa Dae.
He will leave Friday for a three-day visit to Thailand to attend the ASEAN Plus
Three summit, which includes Japan and China. The leaders of Australia, India and
New Zealand will also be attending a wider regional forum known as the East Asia
Summit at the royal beach resort of Hua Hin.
"Through the president's trip to Southeast Asia, (South Korea) will be able to
significantly improve its bilateral and multilateral cooperation with ASEAN
countries, which are the main focus of our 'New Asia Initiative'," Cheong Wa Dae
said.
bdk@yna.co.kr
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