Ukrainian prime minister to visit S. Korea next week

By Lee Chi-dong
SEOUL, July 9 (Yonhap) -- The prime ministers of South Korea and Ukraine will
hold talks next week on ways to promote their economic cooperation especially in
the energy sector, Seoul's foreign ministry said Thursday.
"Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko plans to visit South Korea on July
15-16," ministry spokesman Moon Tae-young said at a press briefing, adding she is
scheduled to pay a courtesy call on President Lee Myung-bak, hold talks with
Prime Minister Han Seung-soo, and meet business leaders.
It would be the first trip to South Korea by a Ukrainian prime minister.
In the talks Thursday, the two prime ministers will discuss how to bolster
cooperation in economy, trade, agriculture, construction, and energy development,
according to Moon.
Also to be discussed are ways to support stable residentship of ethnic Koreans in
Ukraine and expand cultural exchanges, he said.
Ukraine is known for its strategic location as a bridge between Russia and
Europe, and it is also rich in natural resources.
South Korea's trade volume with Ukraine more than doubled to US$2.6 billion in
2008 from that of three years earlier.
"Prime Minister Tymoshenko's upcoming visit to South Korea, the first by a
Ukrainian prime minister, is expected to deepen cooperation between the two
nations on a range of fields including politics, economy, and culture," Moon
said.
Tymoshenko, her country's first female prime minister, was a successful business
leader in the gas industry. She took office in 2005 and was re-elected in 2007.
She is a candidate in the presidential election next year.
lcd@yna.co.kr
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