President Lee Jae Myung arrived in Mongolia on Thursday (local time), the second stop of his current overseas tour.
Air Force One carrying Lee and his wife touched down at Chinggis Khaan International Airport Thursday morning, with official state visit engagements scheduled to begin in the afternoon.
Lee will attend a formal welcoming ceremony before holding a summit with Mongolian President Khurelsukh. The two leaders are expected to announce a "golden era of Korea-Mongolia relations" through an agreement and memorandum of understanding signing ceremony and a joint press statement.
Lee will also deliver a keynote address at the Korea-Mongolia Business Forum, where government and business representatives from both countries will gather to discuss mutually beneficial economic cooperation.
On Friday, Lee will visit the memorial hall of independence activist Lee Tae-jun before sitting down for a luncheon with Korean residents in Mongolia. He will then hold separate meetings with Mongolian National Assembly Speaker Byambasaikhan and Prime Minister Oyunerdene, followed by a state dinner hosted by the president. On Saturday, Lee will join President Khurelsukh as a guest of honor at the opening ceremony of Naadam, Mongolia's largest national festival, bringing the tour to a close.
Mongolia was the second country after the Soviet Union to establish diplomatic ties with North Korea and has maintained friendly relations with Pyongyang. Lee is expected to explore ways to use the visit as an opportunity to create conditions for resuming dialogue with the North.
sang@heraldcorp.com
