WORLD: South Korea looks forward to furthering ties with China

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak said he hoped the country's next administration and the new Chinese leadership would make efforts to further friendly relations between the two nations.

In a recent written interview with Xinhua and several other news agencies, Lee, who ends his five-year tenure early next year, reviewed the development of South Korea-China relations in recent years.

"Over the past five years, China-Korea relations were upgraded to a strategic and cooperative partnership. In line with this, the two countries witnessed much progress in many areas," he said.

"Bilateral cooperation transcends the economic front as seen in the close interaction in culture, people-to-people exchanges, education," he said.

Lee said China was South Korea's largest trading partner and investment destination, adding the two countries achieved their annual trade goal of 200 billion U.S. dollars and were currently engaged in free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations.

"As such, bilateral trade and economic collaboration are being ever strengthened," he said.

On the current situation of the global economy, the president noted all three major credit rating agencies upgraded South Korea's standing this year, an outcome which he said showed they highly rated the country's endeavors to surmount economic crises.

"Due to a high level of interconnectivity and interdependency, the global economy is destined to be influenced by the economic slowdown in Europe," he said. "As of now, Korea's economy is progressing at a slow pace. Unlike Japan, such slow-paced growth will be short-lived."

He voiced confidence the South Korean economy would recover as soon as the global economy turned around this year.

On his August visit to the Dokdo Islands, or Takeshima Islands as they are referred to by Japan, and the issue of the "comfort women," Lee said the visit was made "as part of my provincial inspection tour of Ulleungdo and Dokdo, an integral part of Korean territory."

South Korea's "position on the issue of the comfort women and past history is clear, and it has been relayed many times to the Japanese side directly and indirectly at bilateral summits and at other occasions," he said.

"I hope that the Japanese government will genuinely look into itself and feel remorse about its past wrongdoings and its failure to correctly recognize history, so that it will be respected in the international community. Such reflection is necessary for Japan's sake as well as for peace and stability in Northeast Asia," the president said.-The Philippine Star (December 02, 2012 3:02PM)