South Korean President Links Pioneering Spirit to Mongolian Nomadic Culture

ULAANBAATAR, July 10 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung said Friday that South Korea's unique pioneering spirit resembles Mongolia's nomadic spirit, adding that the resemblance helps drive bilateral friendship and understanding.

The South Korean president made the remarks at a lunch meeting with South Koreans in Mongolia at a hotel in Ulaanbaatar, as he called for expanded cooperation with Mongolia.

The president is visiting Mongolia on a three-day state visit that included a summit with Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh the previous day.

"The reason South Korea and Mongolia could become close friends is because of their similar dispositions," Lee said.

"(Mongolia's) Nomadic spirit of setting out to explore new paths across the vast steppe and South Korea's unique pioneering spirit are major links that allow (the countries) to understand each other," the president said.

Lee attributed Ulaanbaatar's highly vibrant Korean town to the Korean community, noting that South Korea has established itself as one of the most familiar countries to Mongolians.

The president, in particular, referred to the bustling Korean town in the Mongolian capital, lined with Korean restaurants, Korean-brand cafes and companies, calling it by its popular nickname "Mongtan," a combination of Mongolia and Dongtan, a newly developed residential area south of Seoul.

"You have faithfully played the role of a bridge between the two countries, and based on these achievements, South Korea and Mongolia can open a new era as strategic partners and continue cooperation in various sectors," the president said.

"As the Mongolian president said, South Korea is one of the most important partners among the 'third neighbors' of Mongolia, bilateral cooperation will further deepen," he added.

Earlier in the day, Lee also visited a memorial museum commemorating Lee Tae-joon, a late Korean independence fighter and doctor who received Mongolia's highest honor for his medical services to the Mongolian people.

President Lee observed a moment of silence at a mock tomb of Lee beside the museum, whose exact actual burial site remains unknown, and toured the institution chronicling the independence fighter's life.

"I will carry the noble spirit of patriot Lee Tae-joon into a golden era of South Korea-Mongolia (relations)," Lee wrote in the guest book.