PRIME Minister General Thein Sein is due to travel to South Korea soon to attend a summit celebrating the 20th anniversary of its becoming a dialogue partner with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the Myanmar government announced last week.

It said General Thein Sein will be travelling to South Korea at the invitation of President Lee Myung-bak.

The commemorative summit is taking place on scenic Jeju Island, off the southern coast of South Korea.

As well as the summit, there will be bilateral meetings between Mr Lee and ASEAN heads of state or government and a summit of chief executive officers from the two sides.

South Korea is the 10th largest foreign investor in Myanmar, reports the Chinese news agency Xinhua, quoting official Myanmar figures. It said the figures show that South Korea investment in Myanmar from 1988 to March this year totalled US$240 million.

South Korea has invested in 37 projects, accounting for 1.52 percent of Myanmar’s total foreign investment of $15 billion, Xinhua said, quoting the official figures.

They show that bilateral trade amounted to just over $261million in 2008, with imports from South Korea worth nearly $181 million and exports valued at $80.57 million.

South Korea recently offered to exempt tariffs on most goods imported from ASEAN members, including Myanmar, Xinhua reported.

It said South Korea was Myanmar’s eighth largest trading partner. Myanmar exports to South Korea mainly comprise agricultural products, seafood, timber and garments. Myanmar mainly imports steel, garments and electrical and electronic products from South Korea, Xinhua said.