VLADIVOSTOK -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak opened a Facebook page Friday, saying he hopes the social networking site will help him connect more with the public.

"I begin a Facebook page from today. I hope you will come take a look at past pictures and how things are going recently, and I wish we could share how our lives are going whenever possible," Lee said in his first posting with a picture showing him gazing at his smartphone.

Lee arrived in Russia's Far Eastern city of Vladivostok earlier in the day for an annual summit of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum on a four-stop trip that will take him to Greenland, Norway and Kazakhstan next week.

In another posting on the page (http://www.facebook.com/leemyungbak), Lee introduced his itinerary, with a map showing the travel route and the total distance, 23,371 kilometers, he will fly during the eight-day trip.

"I arrived in Vladivostok a short while ago," Lee said in a comment added to a picture of his seat in the presidential jet, with his bag and a pile of documents on a desk. "I will attend the APEC forum and hold summit meetings for the two weekend days," he said.

"This is a photo of my seat taken right before we took off from Seoul Airport. By the time I return home, this bag will be a little more worn out," he said. "I will keep you updated on what's going on here."

A total of 16,018 visitors had clicked the "Like" button as of Friday night.



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