Lee urges closer energy, construction cooperation with Poland

By Byun Duk-kun
WARSAW, July 7 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak called Tuesday
for expanding bilateral economic cooperation between his country and Poland,
saying the two countries should exploit further growth potential in the energy
and construction sectors.
Lee said the countries are already working very closely together, noting their
bilateral trade grew 50 percent annually for the past five years to reach over
US$4.4 billion in 2008.
"I believe the reason South Korea and Poland are maintaining such a close
relationship is because of the active support of the Polish government and our
businesses leaders here," Lee said at a Korea-Poland economic forum.
The South Korean leader arrived here earlier Tuesday as part of his three-nation
trip that will also take him to Italy and Sweden. The president is set to hold a
bilateral summit here with his Polish counterpart, Lech Kaczynski, on Wednesday
before heading to the central Italian city of L'Aquila for an extended summit of
the Group of Eight advanced countries.
"But we must not rest here. There is still great room for South Korea and Poland
to develop through bilateral cooperation," he said.
Lee said a free trade agreement (FTA) between his country and the European Union
will help significantly increase bilateral cooperation and trade between Korea
and Poland, but added the countries must also look for new areas of cooperation
on their own.
The South Korean president said he sees great potential for close cooperation
between the two countries in three areas -- construction, cultural industries,
and nuclear and other energy sectors.
Lee said cooperation in building nuclear and other energy plants is an area where
the countries can immediately benefit from their complementary strengths.
"South Korea has built and operated 20 nuclear plants in the past 30 years and is
currently building eight additional plants, which means the country has the
latest technology and a great deal of experience," the president said in the
meeting.
"Also, as the world's second-largest importer of liquefied natural gas (LNG),
South Korea is very competitive internationally in building and operating LNG
terminals," he added.
Poland is currently working to build its first LNG terminal in its northwestern
port city of Swinoujscie while also moving to build one or two nuclear plants.
"If the two countries cooperate on the projects, I am certain it will be an
opportunity for both of the countries to win, while Poland's energy security and
technology will be significantly boosted," President Lee said.
The South Korean president also expressed hope that more South Korean businesses
will be able to take part in Poland's ongoing infrastructure projects, saying
South Korea has many of the world's leading construction companies.
Cultural cooperation is another area where the two countries that share many
historical similarities can work together to develop their own cultural and media
industries, Lee said.
Tuesday's forum was attended by some 200 business executives from both sides,
including the head of the Polish Chamber of Commerce, Andrzej Arendarski, and his
South Korean counterpart, Son Kyung-shik.
Following the forum, the South Korean president and other participants visited an
exhibition of Korean products in the Polish capital, where 55 South Korean firms
displayed their "world best" products and signed contracts worth over $100
million.
bdk@yna.co.kr
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