President Lee speaks at the Korea-New Zealand Business Forum on Mar. 3.President Lee emphasized worldwide "green cooperation" at the Korea-New Zealand Business Forum held in Auckland on Tuesday (Mar. 3).

"We have to find new collaborative agenda items in order to overcome the current [economic] crisis and prepare for the future at the same time. And the answer is green growth and green cooperation."

Lee hoped that the occasion of this Korea-New Zealand summit would provide great momentum to the two countries'' efforts for green development.

Lee also said to the businessmen at the gathering that the current trade protectionism pursued by a few nations would ultimately initiate a vicious cycle of retaliation.

As to the bilateral summit''s decision to launch FTA talks, Lee said that both countries'' businesspeople would enjoy newer opportunities following mutual market expansion and enhanced bilateral relations.

Meeting with Korean nationals living in New Zealand, Lee confidently said that Korea would be among the first to recover from the current economic crisis.

He also explained that the government was doing its best to provide people with more jobs and that there had been an exceptional agreement reached in Korea between the government, labor, management and representatives of civic society to join forces for job sharing.

At a dinner hosted by Prime Minister John Key, Lee mentioned the proverb "A friend in need is a friend indeed," and hoped that Korea and New Zealand could be trustworthy partners to each other in these difficult economic times. He also assured his audience that the two countries will successfully push through the turmoil with free trade and market opening.