President of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Roh Moo-hyun described Shanghai as "an amicable city" during a meeting with Shanghai Mayor Han Zheng Wednesday.
Roh said he had heard about Shanghai long ago, and recently many people in the ROK were showing great interest in the city. "The name of Shanghai is so popular, and this proves Shanghai is one of the fastest-growing and attractive cities in the world," he said.
He thanked the Shanghai municipal government for its protection and maintenance of the archaeological site of the ROK interim government. The ROK interim government was established in Shanghai 84 years ago when the Korean Peninsula was occupied by Japan. Roh will visit the archaeological site on Thursday.
Han said trade and economic exchanges between China and the ROK have increased significantly since 1992 and expressed his belief that President Roh Moo-hyun's visit to Shanghai will further boost exchanges and cooperation between Shanghai and the ROK in the fields of economics, trade, science, technology and culture.
The ROK is Shanghai's eighth largest investor, with over 600 projects and US$769 million of contractual foreign capital, Han said.
Roh arrived in Beijing Monday for a four-day state visit to China.
(Xinhua News Agency July 10, 2003)
