Ecuador president invites Moon to visit his country: special envoy

Ecuador President Lenin Moreno has invited President Moon Jae-in to visit his country as he called for an increase in bilateral economic cooperation, Moon's special envoy to Ecuador said Friday.

Rep. Park Young-sun of the ruling Democratic Party met with Moreno earlier as a presidential envoy and posted the result of the meeting in her Facebook feed.

"(I) conveyed Moon's handwritten letter to President Moreno in a meeting held after his first (public) event following the inauguration," Park said.

During the meeting, the president stressed that "South Korea is a country with which Ecuador could have complementary economic cooperation," according to the posting. Moreno also congratulated Moon on his inauguration.

As he invited Moon to Ecuador, he also said, "I want to make another visit to South Korea in the very near future," according to Park.

The lawmaker said she told Moreno that South Korea hopes for more vibrant economic cooperation with Ecuador through a bilateral strategic economic cooperation agreement.

South Korea also expects the Ecuador president to help Korean companies join the country's state-funded industrial projects including the project to build oil refineries in the Pacific, Park told him.

She also highlighted to Moreno that he and Moon have a lot in common, referring to their similar career path as a human rights activist and a human rights lawyer, respectively.

"After Moon came to Ecuador as a special envoy himself 10 years ago, he has had special interest in the country," she said.

She also vowed efforts to promote tourism between the countries.

"More bilateral economic collaborations and exchanges are expected to take place between South Korea and Ecuador as the country plans to harness industrial diversification following President Moreno's inauguration," Park said.

South Korea's foreign ministry said Park also attended the inauguration ceremony of Moreno who officially took office on Wednesday. Including South Korea, 18 countries sent their delegations there to celebrate Moreno's inauguration, it said. (Yonhap)