President Roh Moo-hyun has met with business leaders of South Korea and Brazil in Sao Paolo.

During the meeting on Thursday, Roh spoke of the need for expanded Korean-Brazilian cooperation in trade and economy and in the fields of resources and technology to further develop their economic partnership.

Later in the day, Roh met with members of the Korean-Brazilian community and praised the patriotism of South Korean businesspeople as an engine of the nation's economic growth.

Following his meeting with the businesspeople, Roh toured an exhibition of topnotch South Korean products currently underway in the South American country and called on Korean firms to exert further efforts in making inroads into the South and Central American markets.