President Lee Myung-bak met with Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko of  Ukraine, who is on an official visit to Korea. At the Cheong Wa Dae meeting, the two leaders discussed matters of mutual concern, including how to promote relations between the two countries and ways to expand substantive cooperation.

President Lee and Prime Minister Tymoshenko noted the steady progress in bilateral relations on a wide range of issues since the establishment of diplomatic ties in February 1992.

The Korean President praised Ukraine as a nation having great growth potential and expressed hope that more Korean companies would be able to advance into the country on the basis of close collaborative relations between the two nations. The Ukrainian Prime Minister responded by saying that she would make efforts to create a business-friendly environment for Korean companies.

Prime Minister Tymoshenko’s visit is the first by a Ukrainian Prime Minister since the two countries established diplomatic relations. President Lee said he hoped the visit would be a cornerstone in promoting bilateral ties between Korea and Ukraine. In response, the Prime Minister said that Ukraine hopes to further deepen economic collaboration with Korea that has achieved astonishing growth over a short period of time.

President Lee also expressed hope that ethnic Koreans in Ukraine will be able to gain legal residence in the country and contribute to the economic development of Ukraine while serving as a bridge to help promote bilateral ties. Prime Minster Tymoshenko promised continued cooperation with the Korean government regarding the matter.

30,000-32,000 ethnic Koreans live in Ukraine with about two-thirds holding Uzbekistani passports which limit their stay and employment in the country. The Korean government spent close to 1 million dollars in 2008 and will spend the same amount this year to help ethnic Koreans in the CIS and Russia acquire legal residence.