South Korean builders may join a project to build desalination plants in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi King Fahd made a positive response to Prime Minister Lee Han-dong's request to allow South Korean firms to participate in the one billion dollar project.

Officials in Seoul said South Korean constructors have also secured a deal to build a three hundred million dollar petrochemical plant in the Middle Eastern country.

After talks with the Saudi King, Lee attended a seminar on the Korean economy.

Lee Han-dong is currently on a 12-day four-nation visit to the Middle East. Lee's stops include Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman.

Lee is the highest South Korean official to visit the Middle East since former President Choi Kyu-ha visited the region in 1980.