South Korean President Visits Burma

Posted May 14th, 2012 at 3:50 am (UTC-5)
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South Korean President Lee Myung-bak headed to Burma Monday for a two-day visit, the first such trip by a South Korean leader in nearly 30 years.

Mr. Lee's office said he will meet with Burmese President Thein Sein to discuss increasing economic ties as well as cooperation on energy and natural resources.

The South Korean leader is also expected to meet Tuesday with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Security in Burma was tight ahead of Mr. Lee's arrival.

The last South Korean president to visit Burma was Chun Doo-hwan, who escaped a 1983 assassination attempt. In that attack, North Korean agents set off a bomb blast at a shrine to Aung San Suu Kyi's father and independence hero, killing 21 people, including 17 South Koreans.