Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla visits South Korea

President Laura Chinchilla on Sunday wrapped up a trip to China and began the journey’s second leg to South Korea, where she will meet Tuesday with President Lee Myung-bak in an effort to strengthen commercial ties between the two nations.

On Monday, Chinchilla placed a wreath at the South Korean National Cemetery’s Monument of the Fallen, and later, she meet with South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung Hwan.

The Costa Rican president will meet Tuesday with officials from the Korea Development Institute to discuss an exchange program, and then with the president of the National University Hospital in South Korea, to talk about how to utilize digital technology in hospitals.

Chinchilla’s schedule includes the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Korea Foundation and the University of Costa Rica, as well as meetings with South Korean trade associations and organizations specializing in emergency care.

Also on Tuesday, Chinchilla and President Lee Myung-bak will meet to commemorate 50 years of relations between the two countries.

The president will be returning to Costa Rica on Wednesday.