Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was awarded honorary Seoul citizenship on Thursday, becoming the 13th foreign head of state to receive the honor, the municipal government said Thursday.

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon awarded Lee with a certificate of honorary citizenship in a ceremony at his office and exchanged views on experiences in economic development and urban management, Seoul officials said.

“Lee’s visit to Seoul will not only strengthen ties between South Korea and Singapore but also serve as an opportunity to increase cooperation and exchanges between Seoul and Singapore,” Park was quoted as saying.

Lee is on a three-day trip to South Korea to attend a two-day special summit between South Korea and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations that kicked off on Thursday in Busan.

He visited Park’s office with a 16-person delegation including his wife and Peter Tan Hai Chuan, the Singaporean ambassador to South Korea.

So far, 12 foreign heads of state, including former Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla Miranda and Uzbek President Islam Karimov, have been awarded honorary Seoul citizenship.

Honorary Seoul citizenships were first given out in 1958 to foreigners who had lived in the city for three consecutive years or VIP guests from abroad. A total of 714 people from 92 countries have so far received the honor. (Yonhap)