By Kim Yon-se
Staff Reporter
President Lee Myung-bak expressed positive expectations for his scheduled summits with U.S. President George W. Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda.
``I will make my first overseas visit next week. I believe the summits will be a new opportunity for (better) relations with the U.S. and Japan,'' he said at a Cabinet meeting Tuesday.
The President will leave for New York on April 15 and drop by Tokyo on April 20 before he returns home on April 21. He will also visit Washington, D.C. and the U.S. presidential retreat Camp David during his five-day trip to America.
The summits are likely to showcase the diplomatic philosophy of the Lee administration in areas such as North Korea and commerce-related policies.
In commerce, the Lee government wants early ratification of the South Korea-U.S. free trade agreement (FTA). Some economists say the government is hesitant in resuming FTA talks with Japan amid alleged opposition from major business lobby groups.
Experts say the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) is worried that Japanese industrial goods will dominate the domestic market under an FTA with the world's second largest economy.
While presiding over the Cabinet meeting, Lee indirectly urged the National Assembly to pass the motion on the Korea-U.S. FTA by holding an extraordinary session in May, before the 18th National Assembly is launched.
Lee also expressed hopes for high-level nuclear talks between North Korea and the U.S. that were resumed in Singapore, Monday.
``I hope the talks will be successful, helping to pave the ground for the settlement of the North Korean nuclear issue,'' he said. He stressed that Seoul is willing to improve inter-Korean relations, and wishes for the success of the six-party talks.
After the Cabinet meeting, Lee traveled to Jeongeup, North Jeolla Province, and called for concerted national efforts to stem the spread of avian influenza, which has broken out in the southwestern region.
Lee instructed the provincial officials to take thorough quarantine measures to prevent the further spread of the disease.
Presidential aides said that Lee personally decided to make a trip to the infected areas amid worries of the disease spreading to other parts of the country.