Lee and his counterparts discusses bilateral cooperation in security, trade, business


President Lee Myung-bak began a hectic diplomatic schedule Saturday with bilateral talks with the leaders of the U.N., Thailand, New Zealand, India, Jordan and the U.S., who are here for the two-day Nuclear Security Summit.

Apart from calling on North Korea to scrap its satellite launch plan, the leaders discussed an array of bilateral and global issues, hoping to deepen their cooperation in areas of security, trade, business and other sectors.

On the sidelines of the premier forum on anti-nuclear terrorism, Lee is set to hold top-level bilateral talks with leaders of more than 20 countries, the U.N. and the EU.

During the talks with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Lee praised Ban for the U.N.’s role in addressing global issues. He also expressed his expectation that a U.N. exhibition hall at the Yeosu Expo will help promote the international organization’s role. The Expo begins its three-month run in May.

Ban, a former South Korean foreign minister, hailed Seoul’s increased role in enhancing global peace and stability. The two leaders also shared the view that Seoul and the U.N. should work closely together in areas of development and green growth. 

In a bilateral meeting between Lee and Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, the two leaders agreed to make efforts to achieve a bilateral trade volume of $30 billion by 2016. Their two-way trade volume increased to $13.9 billion last year.

The two countries also signed an agreement to deepen their defense cooperation for disaster relief and peace-keeping operations.

They also agreed to sign an agreement in the near future on technology cooperation to better manage water resources. The leaders concurred that the security of water resources is crucial to better prepare for possible natural disasters stemming from climate change.

During their talks on Sunday, Lee and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh agreed to continue high-level exchanges to deepen bilateral defense relations and explore possibilities for joint ventures in research and development and the manufacturing of military equipment.

Lee said he expected that the two sides would deepen cooperation in the defense industry concerning ships, aircraft and other military items.

The two leaders also agreed to set a new bilateral trade target of $40 billion by 2015. Last year, their two-way trade volume topped $20 billion.

Introducing India’s infrastructure development plan worth $1 trillion, Singh invited Korean companies to actively participate in construction projects for highways, airports, metros and power plants.

In a meeting between the leaders of South Korea and New Zealand, Lee and his counterpart Prime Minister John Key agreed to deepen their cooperation in business and trade while continuing efforts to improve their friendship on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relations this year.

The leaders of South Korea and Jordan also discussed ways to further improve their ties. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations, they hoped that people of both countries could enhance mutual understanding through a series of cultural events scheduled to mark the anniversary.

Jordan’s King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein expressed his expectation that Korean firms would continue to advance into Jordan’s development market, and that Seoul would share its development experience.

South Korean firms have been involved in a range of projects in Jordan, including thermoelectric power plant construction and research reactor establishment.

By Song Sang-ho (sshluck@heraldcorp.com)