South Korean The President expressed hopes that his country and the European Union can conclude a free trade agreement (FTA) by the end of August if possible.

In an interview given in Poland on Tuesday (July 7, local time) with EuroNews, one of the most powerful media news channels in Europe, he said discussions about a South Korea-EU FTA have been going on for a long time and the two sides have already reached agreement for the most part, so it is time that the parties involved gather opinions from a few remaining EU members.

Regarding North Korea''s nuclear issue, he said that if the weapons of mass destruction and nuclear materials produced by North Korea are transferred to other states, many of them can be suspected of having nuclear weapons too.

He also asked Europe to pay close attention to the North Korean issue and exercise its collective influence on the country, since Europe has traditionally maintained a dialogue relationship with Pyongyang.

Lee''s Poland visit is part of a three-nation European trip, which will also take him to Italy and
Sweden.

The President will return home on July 14.