President Lee Myung-bak plans to visit China’s earthquake-devastated Sichuan Province on Friday (May 30) to deliver his personal condolences to the Chinese people suffering from the unprecedented natural disaster, Lee’s spokesman announced Thursday.

President Lee arrived in China on Tuesday for a four-day state visit and held talks with President Hu Jintao, Prime Minister Wen Jiabao and other Chinese leaders, agreeing to upgrade bilateral relations to a strategic cooperative partnership. The Korean president was to return home Friday after a one-night stopover in Qingdao, a port in northeastern China where investment by Korean firms is concentrated.

"President Lee will fly to Sichuan Province Friday to visit scenes of earthquake destruction after completing his planned itinerary in Qingdao," spokesman Lee Dong-kwan said in a media briefing at a Beijing hotel.

"During his brief visit, Lee will deliver his consolation and condolences to the disaster-hit Chinese people. He will express the willingness of the Korean government and people to participate in China’s disaster recovery efforts," said the spokesman.

The spokesman said President Lee’s visit to Sichuan is expected to greatly contribute to boosting mutual friendship and trust between the two countries and their peoples. He added the Korean military plans to donate about 380 million won ($362,000) worth of relief goods, including tents and blankets, to China on Thursday prior to Lee’s visit there.

President Lee will become the first foreign head of state to visit the earthquake-hit province.

The number of confirmed deaths from the magnitude 7.9 quake, which rocked Sichuan Province in southwest China and its vicinity on May 12, exceeded 68,000 as of Wednesday. An additional 19,851 are still missing and more than 5 million people were made homeless by the earthquake.

"President Lee first disclosed his intention to travel to Sichuan Province during his summit talks with Hu and the Chinese president welcomed the surprise offer and instructed his foreign minister to make thorough preparations for Lee’s trip," said the spokesperson.

The Korean government has already extended about $3 million worth of cash and relief goods to China and dispatched 44 emergency relief workers to the scenes of the earthquake. An additional $2 million worth of aid will be delivered to China.

Prior to his departure to Beijing, Lee made a personal trip to China’s embassy in Seoul last week to pay condolences to the earthquake dead.