South Korean President Lee Myung-bak Tuesday began his two-day visit to New Zealand with a ceremony hosted by New Zealand's governor general.
The South Korean President is scheduled to meet New Zealand Prime Minister John Key in a summit to discuss ways to increase cooperation in fighting the global economic crisis, according to Yonhap News.
They are also expected to declare the official start of negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA), according to South Korean officials here.
"President Lee called for cooperation between the two countries in the education sector to help improve their people's understanding each other and asked for support for South Korean students studying in New Zealand," the South Korean presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae said of the meeting between Lee and Anand Satyanand, governor general of New Zealand.
Satyanand said he will do his utmost and thanked Lee for his invitation to visit Seoul, Cheong Wa Dae said in a released statement.
Lee's trip comes amid Seoul's efforts to push for what it calls a "new initiative on Asia," under which it will seek to significantly improve its ties with Asian and South Pacific nations.
Seoul plans to host a special summit in early June for leaders of the 10 member nations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations or ASEAN, while the President plans trips to a number of Southeastern and Central Asian nations within the year, according to a Cheong Wa Dae official, who asked not to be identified.
The visit is part of Lee's three-nation trip that will also take him to Australia and Indonesia, Seoul's largest trading partners in Asia along with New Zealand.
Seoul and Wellington have held two rounds of preliminary talks on an envisioned FTA since 2007, and South Korean officials say the sides will likely conclude their negotiations before the end of the year.
Bilateral trade between South Korea, the world's 13th largest economy, and New Zealand has been on a steady rise, nearly topping $1.9 billion in 2007.