South Korean business leaders met with the president of Sri Lanka on Wednesday to seek cooperation in expanding their presence in the South Asian market, a local corporate lobby said.

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena attended a luncheon meeting in downtown Seoul with a group of Korean entrepreneurs who operate businesses in the South Asian country or plan to make forays into the region. 

"Many South Korean businesspeople are interested in Sri Lanka as part of a South Asian trio with high potential for growth, along with Bangladesh and Pakistan," said Park Sung-taek, chairman of the Korea Federation of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, which organized the meeting.

Park asked Sirisena to make a business-friendly environment in Sri Lanka so more Korean SMEs can expand into the market.

Sirisena arrived here Tuesday on a three-day visit to mark the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries and had bilateral talks with his South Korean counterpart, Moon Jae-in. (Yonhap)