Korean president heads to Singapore for APEC summit

By Byun Duk-kun

SEOUL, Nov. 13 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak headed for Singapore Friday to attend the annual summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) that will largely focus on ways to end the ongoing global financial crisis.

The summit will be attended by the leaders of 20 other economies around the
Asian-Pacific rim, including the United States, Japan, China and Russia.
"President Lee will congratulate the 20th anniversary of APEC while suggesting a
new vision for integration in the Asian-Pacific region and cooperation among APEC
members for post-crisis growth," Lee's office, Cheong Wa Dae, said.
Lee will attend a CEO summit later Friday to give a keynote speech on a "strategy
for Asia for post-crisis growth" and ways to utilize the G-20 economic summit
toward that end, according to Cheong Wa Dae.
South Korea assumes the chairmanship of the G-20 at the start of next year and
will host a summit of the economic forum in Seoul in November.
Lee's three-day trip will also include a series of bilateral summits, starting
with Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong later Friday, it said.
Lee is also set to hold talks with Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd early
Saturday before the start of the APEC summit.
The regional summit will end Sunday when the leaders are expected to issue a
joint statement, calling for enhanced regional cooperation to fight the global
economic crisis and also deal with various other global issues, such as climate
change and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
Lee will return home Sunday and have summit talks with U.S. President Barack
Obama next week.
bdk@yna.co.kr