The President will attend the Korea-ASEAN Summit and the ASEAN+3 Summit meetings on October 29 in Hanoi, Vietnam, to discuss ways to enhance cooperation with ASEAN and to strengthen regional cooperation among East Asian countries.

At the Korea-ASEAN Summit, the President plans to propose upgrading the bilateral relations between Korea and ASEAN to the level of "strategic partnership."

In order to narrow the development gap among ASEAN member countries, the President will also propose measures to strengthen cooperation in infrastructure development in emerging and developing countries like Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia.

President Lee Myung-bak (left) meets with Vietnamese Minister of Justice Ha Hung Cuong on Oct. 28 in Hanoi, Vietnam.

At the ASEAN+3 Summit, he will also propose ways to implement financial cooperation projects like the Chiang Mai Initiative Multi-lateralization, a currency swap contract which would include all ASEAN+3 members, and expand cooperation in energy, food security and education sectors among ASEAN countries.

The President will then have a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Kan Naoto and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao to ask for support to ensure the success of the upcoming G20 Seoul Summit, scheduled take place next month.

He will also have summit talks with Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of the Republic of India, to discuss the agendas of the G20 Seoul Summit and propose substantial cooperation measures in a wide range of sectors, including the economy.