S. Korean president vows increased support for Uzbek students

By Byun Duk-kun
TASHKENT, May 11 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak pledged on
Monday increased support for Uzbekistan and its students, including official
development aid and more opportunities for Uzbek students to visit Korea.
"South Korea will invite more young students of Uzbekistan to the country so they
can make friends with Korea's college students and improve mutual understanding
of the other side," the president said in a speech in a meeting with collegians
at Uzbekistan's University of World Economy and Diplomacy.
The meeting, also attended by Uzbek President Islam Karimov, came shortly after
the South Korean president was presented with an honorary doctoral degree for his
leadership and contribution to improving ties between Korea and the Central Asian
nation.
Nearly 100 students of the university's 1,300 students are currently taking
Korean language classes, while some 13,000 nationwide are studying the language,
according to South Korean officials.
Lee said a "new silk road," which he proposed earlier during a luncheon speech,
would strongly connect the two countries politically and economically, placing
them at the center of the world.
"Uzbekistan, which is at the center of the Eurasian continent, will become the
center of this "new silk road of the 21st century" that will link Europe to the
Far East," he told the students.
To this end, Lee said both South Korea and Uzbekistan must pursue development
based on low-carbon and environmentally friendly growth.
"I am completely convinced green growth is the way to save the earth and mankind
and, at the same time, save countries that are struggling against poverty and
underdevelopment," Lee said.
bdk@yna.co.kr
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