S. Korean President Courts Poland on Energy, Infrastructure

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak said Tuesday his country is interested in helping Poland develop energy and infrastructure projects.

President Lee is in on an official visit to Poland to mark 20 years of bilateral relations.

In a speech to a Polish-Korean business forum in Warsaw, he proposed joint projects to develop nuclear energy, and build roads, bridges and railways in Poland.

Poland is seeking to reduce its dependence on coal for electricity and is considering building nuclear power plants. The South Korean president says his country is one of the most experienced in the field.

Poland is one of South Korea's largest European trade partners. The Korea Times newspaper says about 100 Korean firms, including Samsung Electronics and Daewoo Engineering, are operating there.

During the two-day visit, Mr. Lee will also meet with his Polish counterpart Lech Kaczynski and Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

After Poland, Mr. Lee is traveling to Rome to participate in the expanded part of the summit of the Group of Eight industrialized nations, devoted to energy and climate change.

On Saturday, he travels to Sweden for a three-day visit before returning home. Sweden holds the rotating presidency of the European Union. During the visit, Mr. Lee is expected to discuss the finalization of a free trade deal between South Korea and the EU.