Lee set for summit with East Timor President Horta on strengthening ties
President Lee Jae Myung makes a toast during a lunch meeting, Thursday, at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul with the Korean team, which finished second at this year's 48th WorldSkills Competition, held in Shanghai in September. Yonhap
President Lee Jae Myung was set to hold a summit with East Timorese President Jose Ramos-Horta on Friday to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation between their countries.
Horta, the 1996 recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, arrived in Korea the previous day for a three-day trip at Lee's invitation, marking the first visit to Korea by an East Timorese leader since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 2002.
During Friday's summit, the two leaders are expected to discuss ways to enhance cooperation in sectors ranging from security, intellectual property, climate change and education to human exchanges while exchanging views on regional security and the latest international issues.
They will also attend a signing ceremony for memorandums of understanding between their countries and hold a joint press announcement at Cheong Wa Dae.
Their summit will be followed by a luncheon where the two leaders will be served dishes that fuse their countries' culinary cultures, including a main dish of chicken drumsticks, a popular ingredient in East Timor, marinated in Korean sauce, according to the presidential office.
Given that rice is a stable food in East Timor, the lunch will be composed of traditional Korean cuisine, which is also based on rice, while coffee from East Timor will be served, it added.
Lee plans to gift a number of Korean products to Horta on the occasion of their summit, including an art book on miniature paintings of rare Korean plants and red ginseng, Cheong Wa Dae said.
In an X post the previous day, Lee said, "As we look ahead to the 25th anniversary of our diplomatic relations next year, I hope this visit will mark another important milestone in our enduring friendship and pave the way for an even stronger partnership in the years ahead."