Lee heads to Japan for regional summit talks

By Yoo Cheong-mo
SEOUL, Dec. 13 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak on Saturday left
for the Japanese city of Fukuoka to hold tripartite summit talks with Japanese
Prime Minister Taro Aso and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.

Lee will hold separate bilateral talks with Aso and Wen to discuss pending
issues, including closer cooperation on the global economic crisis and widening
cultural and personnel exchanges, said the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae.
At the three-way talks slated for Saturday afternoon, the leaders plan to adopt a
joint statement pledging to deepen trilateral cooperation in overcoming the
global financial crisis and denuclearizing North Korea, officials at Cheong Wa
Dae said.
The three leaders are expected to agree on reinforcing existing currency swap
deals concluded between their countries and accelerate a separate agreement with
Southeast Asian nations to create an US$80 billion joint fund by next June to
cushion the region against the financial crisis.
On Friday, South Korea's central bank announced agreements with its Japanese and
Chinese counterparts to expand the ceiling of their respective foreign currency
credit swap lines to $30 billion.
South Korea, faced with a weakening won and declining foreign exchange reserves,
has long sought to expand its foreign currency swap lines with the U.S., Japan
and China.
According to the officials, the three leaders are also expected to discuss
regional follow-up measures for the agreements reached at the Group of 20 summit
held in the U.S. last month before exchanging opinions on the agenda for the next
G-20 summit slated for April 2 in London.
Following the tripartite talks, the leaders will sign an accord on anti-disaster
cooperation and hold joint meetings with youth representatives and reporters from
the three countries.
Lee will return home late Saturday night.
The Fukuoka meeting will be the first three-way summit talks to be held
separately from multilateral international forums. The three countries have met
annually on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Plus
Three summit.
They had originally intended to meet in Japan in September, but the plan was
scrapped due to the sudden resignation of then Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo
Fukuda.
ycm@yna.co.kr
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