South Korean Prime Minister Lee Hae- Chan arrived in Manila Friday for a nine-hour official visit to the Philippines.

The government said in a statement that Lee was on a transit to Seoul after attending the state funeral of King Fahd of Saudi Arabia in Riyadh.

At a reception dinner, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo noted that the Philippines-Korea trade and investments have experienced an upsurge in the recent years, resulting in the biggest gains in the trade relationship between the two countries.

President Arroyo cited the swelling number of South Korean tourists visiting her country and an additional 500,000 more are expected to arrive before the end of the year, making the Philippines the No. 1 Asian destination for Koreans.

She also conveyed her gratitude to the Korean government for its support of her 10-point pro-poor legacy agenda, especially the electrification of every villages in the country.

According to the government, the Korean Electric Power Company (KEPCO) has already provided electricity to some 500 of the 4,000 powerless villages in the country and also committed to bringing light to 2,000 more villages nationwide.

KEPCO is also funding the Submarine Cable that will interconnect the Luzon Grid with the Mindoro Grid through a 50- million-US-dollar investment, it added.

Source: Xinhua