Prime minister leaves for Germany, Ukraine

South Korean Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan is scheduled to leave today for a trip to Germany and the Ukraine.
He plans to stay in Germany until Thursday, and will visit the Ukraine from Oct. 20-22.

During his visit to Germany, Lee is scheduled to attend the Frankfurt Book Fair as the representative of the Korean government. Korea is the Guest of Honor of the book fair, which will be held Oct. 19-23.

Lee also plans to give a speech titled "For perpetual peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula" at a seminar to be held by the Hessen Foundation for Peace and Conflict Research. He will also visit the Max Planck Institute for Biophysics.

On Thursday, Lee will meet Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko and Prime Minister Yuri Yekhanurov to discuss ways to boost cooperation between the two countries and to exchange opinions on major international issues.

Lee will be the first Korean Prime Minister who will visit the Ukraine since Korea formed diplomatic relations with the eastern European country in 1992.

Lee will also meet key Ukrainian figures, including Foreign Minister Boris Tarasyuk.