Assembly speaker to visit Sri Lanka for talks on cooperation

In this file photo, National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug holds a New Year's press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul on Jan. 6, 2022.

National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug will visit Sri Lanka this week for talks on expanding cooperation in mineral resources, his office said Wednesday.

Park will depart Wednesday and meet with his Sri Lankan counterpart Mahinda Abeywardena, as well as the country's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa during the four-day trip.

The two sides are expected to discuss potential agreements on securing Sri Lanka's rare minerals, preventing double taxation, aviation and increasing South Korean businesses' participation in Sri Lanka's development projects.

Park also plans to request the Sri Lankan government's support for South Korea's bid to host the 2030 World Expo in the southeastern port city of Busan.

He is scheduled to return home Saturday. (Yonhap)