The President held a series of one-on-one summit talks with ASEAN member countries on May 30 and 31 ahead of the ASEAN-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit, scheduled to begin on June 1, 2009.

* President Lee meets Vietnamese leader

The President and Nguyen Tan Dung, Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, hold summit at Cheong Wa Dae on Saturday (May 30).

 
President Lee met Nguyen Tan Dung, Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, May 30 at Cheong Wa Dae, Seoul, and discussed pending issues between the two countries.
At the meeting, Lee and his Vietnamese counterpart agreed that Korea and Vietnam have upgraded ties since the establishment of diplomatic relations in December 1992. The two leaders agreed on the need to substantially strengthen bilateral cooperation, especially in the economic sector.

Lee expressed his hope that Korean companies will have more opportunities to take part in construction projects in Vietnam, and Dung vowed to actively support Korean firms.

The Vietnamese leader also expressed thanks for Korea''s economic cooperation shown in the form of the official development assistance (ODA) and other support, and President Lee said that Korea will continue to cooperate in order to share its experience in development with other countries.

* President Lee meets Philippine counterpart

The President met Philippine leader Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on May 30 at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, and discussed ways to improve bilateral ties and pending issues between the two countries.

The President and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, President of the Republic of the Philippines, at the dinner after the summit talks at Cheong Wa Dae on on Saturday (May 30).

 
At the summit, both Lee and Arroyo agreed that Korea and the Philippines have maintained their close bilateral cooperation under the common values of democracy and market economy since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1949 and also agreed on the need to further develop bilateral ties in many sectors like education and culture.

The two presidents also agreed to deepen bilateral cooperation in the sectors of economy and trade, and continue to widen the range of cooperation in order to pave the way for a foundation for sustainable growth in the 21st century between the two countries.

President Lee asked his Philippine counterpart to improve the environment for foreign firms in order to extend the investment of Korean firms to the Philippines in the areas of electrical power generation and mineral development. In response to Lee''s request, Arroyo vowed to actively support Korean firms'' investment in the Philippines and expressed her thanks for Korea''s ODA in the agriculture sector.

* President Lee meets Thailand PM

President Lee met Abhisit Vejjajiva, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand, on May 31 for talks at the International Convention Center on Jeju-do (Jeju Island), ahead of the ASEAN-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit, scheduled to begin on June 1, 2009.

At the meeting, President Lee and his Thai counterpart discussed the “comprehensive cooperation” bilateral relationship and agreed to further enhance ties on a wider level.

The President and Abhisit Vejjajiva, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand, shake hands on Sunday (May 31) at the summit at International Convention Center, Jejudo (island).

 
President Lee asked the Thai PM if Korean firms can take part in state infrastructure construction projects in Thailand and Vejjajiva responded that he will actively review Lee''s request.

The two leaders agreed to cooperate in the successful hosting of the Seoul-Bangkok World Culture Expo, scheduled to take place in 2010, and in Korea''s bid to promote Hansik, or Korean food as a global food culture,

Lee and Vejjajiva welcomed the fact that Korea and ASEAN are to sign a Korea-ASEAN free trade agreement during the two-day ASEAN-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit. They also shared a common viewpoint on the need to multilateralize the Chiang Mai Initiative, the need for a financial cooperative project in East Asia, and the need to establish a regional credit guarantee and investment organization.

* On North Korean nuclear issues

President Lee and the leaders of the three ASEAN member countries have all agreed that North Korea''s recent nuclear test goes against the international nuclear non-proliferation sentiment and hampers the pursuit of peace and stability in both East Asia and the world. They agreed to make diplomatic efforts to make Pyongyang faithfully carry out the UN Security Council resolution and resume the six-party talks