Leaders of Korea, Costa Rica to hold summit in Seoul next week

The leaders of South Korea and Costa Rica will hold a summit in Seoul next week to discuss ways to strengthen their long-standing cooperative ties, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Thursday.

South Korean President Park Geun-hye and her Costa Rican counterpart Luis Guillermo Solis will sit down for talks on Wednesday over their "practical" cooperation in trade, science and technology, infrastructure development and other areas, Cheong Wa Dae said in a press release.

Solis will begin his official visit to South Korea on Monday.

South Korean President Park Geun-hye (Yonhap)

During the summit, the two leaders are expected to take stock of the evolution of the bilateral relations, which were forged in 1962, and discuss joint efforts to pressure North Korea into renouncing its nuclear ambitions, according to the presidential office.

Following the summit, the two sides will hold a ceremony to ink a set of memorandums of understanding over bilateral cooperation.

"Costa Rica is a core country that effectively leads the integration of Central America, and is a crucial cooperative partner for South Korea to expand our presence in the region," Cheong Wa Dae said.

"We hope that this forthcoming summit will help strengthen trust and relations between the two leaders, establish a comprehensive cooperative relationship between South Korea and Costa Rica, and elevate the bilateral relationship a step higher."

Two-way trade reached $394 million last year with South Korea exporting steel, cars and other items to Costa Rica and importing products like coffee and medical device parts. (Yonhap)