Park discusses economic cooperation with Dutch P.M.

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Park Geun-hye met bilaterally with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Monday and discussed ways to expand economic cooperation and exchanges between the two countries, her office said.

The meeting took place in The Hague on the sidelines of a global leaders' summit on anti-nuclear terrorism opening later Monday for a two-day run. South Korea hosted the biennial Nuclear Security Summit in 2012 that was initiated by U.S. President Barack Obama in 2010.

Park and Rutte noted that the two countries have been working closely together as the previous and current hosts of the anti-nuclear terrorism conference, and discussed ways to help this week's session make meaningful progress, Park's office said.

Park was the first South Korean president to make an official visit to the Netherlands.

During the talks, Park said the two countries have similarities in that they achieved economic development though they have small territories and limited resources.

The Netherlands is the No. 1 investor in South Korea among the European Union members and is also South Korea's third-largest trading partner among the EU members.

The two leaders also discussed ways to strengthen cooperation in the areas where both countries have competitive edges, such as distribution, logistics, financial services, information technology and manufacturing. They also discussed enhancing cooperation in the energy, science-technology, agriculture and nuclear industries, the office said.

The Korean Peninsula situation and other regional and global issues were also discussed.

After the talks, the two leaders attended a signing ceremony for a memorandum of understanding on a "working holiday" program that calls for young people of each country to work and travel in the other for up to 12 months.