Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon began a nine-day trip to Dominican Republic and Brazil on Tuesday to discuss ways to strengthen relations with the two countries and to attend an international conference on water issues.

Lee will arrive in Dominican Republic on Wednesday for talks with President Danilo Medina. He will be the first Korean prime minister to visit Dominican Republic since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1962. He plans to use the talks with Medina to discuss ways to deepen cooperation in such areas as energy and infrastructure and information and communications technology.

During his three-day stay, he will also visit a youth healthcare center established with the help of Korea and have a dinner meeting with Dominican business leaders.

Lee will then head to Brazil's Sao Paulo, where he is scheduled to meet with Mayor Joao Doria, hold a meeting with Brazilian business leaders, attend a ceremony to start the construction of a structure symbolizing Korea in the city's Koreatown and meet with Korean residents there.

About 50,000 Koreans reside in Sao Paulo, and some 120 Korean firms have presences there. Lee plans to use the meetings with the city's mayor and business leaders to ask for help in ensuring the safety of Korean residents and cooperation for Korean firms.

Lee will head to Brasília on Sunday for a two-day visit to attend the World Water Forum, an international conference on water issues that is held every three years. Lee is scheduled to deliver a keynote speech during the opening ceremony on Monday.

In Bras?lia, Lee also plans to pay a visit to Brazilian President Michel Temer and discuss ways to further strengthen relations between the two countries ahead of next year's 60th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations.

On the sidelines of the water conference, Lee also plans to hold one-on-one meetings with Morocco's prime minister and the president of the South American nation of Guyana.(Yonhap)