Park named envoy for Europe visit

Park Geun-hye, a former leader of the ruling Grand National Party (GNP), will visit the Netherlands, Portugal and Greece late this month and early next month as a special envoy of President Lee Myung-bak, the Blue House announced yesterday.

All three nations are marking the 50th anniversary of their relations with Korea this year, and Park will meet with their respective leaders during the April 28-May 6 trip to deliver Seoul’s intention to move relations forward, senior political affairs secretary Chung Jin-suk said.

Park’s visit will include meetings with Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, President Anibal Cavaco Silva of Portugal and President Karolos Papoulias of Greece as well as other key figures in the three nations, Chung said.

Park was a rival of Lee ahead of the 2007 presidential election and is considered a leading contender in the 2012 presidential race.

It will be Park’s third time serving as Lee’s special envoy. Park visited China in early 2008 and Europe in 2009 as a special envoy of the president.

Yonhap