President Lee Myung-bak leaves on Sunday for a weeklong tour of three European nations.

Lee will begin his visit with a news conference with German newspapers. He then will meet with President Christian Wulff and Chancellor Angela Merkel to discuss bilateral economic cooperation and Korean Peninsula and European affairs.

The president’s next stop is Frankfurt where he will meet with CEOs of key German companies.

Lee is expected to attend a dinner in Denmark on Wednesday hosted by Queen Margrethe the Second. He's also expected to hold summit talks with Danish Prime Minister Lars Rasmussen.

Moreover, two nations’ leaders will announce a joint statement on strategic partnership and on green technology cooperation. They also have plans to sign a memorandum of understanding on green technology.

Lee will wrap things up in Paris next Friday. He and French President Nicolas Sarkozy intend to discuss cooperation at the Group of 20 Summit and ways to expand trade and investment under the South Korea-European Union free trade agreement.

The presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae says Lee's three-nation tour is expected to establish future-oriented cooperative ties with key EU partners ahead of the Korea-EU FTA's tentatively scheduled July effectuation. It will also serve as an opportunity to strengthen the foundation for effective collaboration with trade partners in the region.