Lee leaves for Russia on resource diplomacy By By Yoo Cheong-mo

SEOUL, Sept. 28 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak left for Russia on Sunday to hold his second summit with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev over closer bilateral cooperation in energy, resources and industrial technologies.

Following the Lee-Medvedev summit slated for Monday, the two countries plan to
seal a total of 13 MOUs calling for strategic partnership relationships in the
fields of energy, resources, investment, industrial technology and information
technology, according to Lee's aides.
Specifically, the proposed MOUs will cover joint exploration of petroleum,
uranium and other natural resources, construction of a Korea-only industrial
complex near Moscow and exchanges between science and technology institutions of
both sides, they said.
During his three-day visit to Russia, Lee will also ask Russian leaders to play a
bigger role in promoting peace in Northeast Asia, as well as in salvaging the
shaky six-nation talks on disabling North Korea's nuclear weapons program.
The Russian leader's stance on North Korea will draw strong interest, as the
communist North is now on the brink of restarting its nuclear weapons program
shut down in July last year under a landmark disarmament deal with South Korea,
the U.S., China, Russia and Japan.
According to Seoul officials, Lee and Medvedev are expected to additionally
discuss bilateral cooperation in the aerospace field and three-way Siberian
economic development projects involving North Korea.
"Lee will hold intensive talks with Medvedev regarding South Korea's long-term
and stable imports of Russian natural gas and joint development of offshore mines
in Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula," said an official at the presidential office,
Cheong Wa Dae.
"Lee will also ask for Medvedev's support for South Korean companies seeking to
participate in Russia's massive infrastructure expansion projects ahead of its
hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Vladivostok in 2012,"
said the official.
In this regard, Lee is likely to stress that the envisioned rail link between
South Korea and Russia via North Korea for its eventual connection with Europe
would provide an opportunity for the three countries to form an integrated
economic bloc, he noted.
Lee's trip to Russia capped his visit to all four superpowers surrounding the
Korean Peninsula, as he has already visited the U.S., Japan and China.
Lee and Medvedev already met on the sidelines of the Group of Eight summit in
Japan in early July and agreed broadly on cooperation in the energy and resources
sectors and in the denuclearization of North Korea.
At the July summit, they also agreed to push ahead with the two countries'
efforts to link the trans-Korean railway, or TKR, with Russia's trans-Siberian
railway, known as the TSR.
Following the summit with Medvedev, Lee will also separately meet with Russian
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Russian business leaders and journalists.
On the way home, Lee will stop in Saint Petersburg, where he will meet with
municipal leaders and receive an honorary doctorate from Saint Petersburg State
University, the alma mater of both Medvedev and Putin.
A total of 33 South Korean business leaders, including Chung Mong-koo of the
Hyundai Motor Group, Chey Tae-won of the SK Group and Koo Bon-moo of the LG
Group, will accompany Lee on the trip.
South Korea and Russia will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the establishment
of bilateral diplomatic relations in 2010. Lee will return home Wednesday.
ycm@yna.co.kr
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