South Korean President Lee Myung Bak left Sunday for a week-long visit to three European countries, starting with Germany, dpa reported.
Lee was to stay in Germany until Wednesday, then Denmark until Thursday, then France until Saturday, the presidential office said.
The South Korean leader is scheduled to meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Christian Wulff in Berlin on Monday, with the focus on building up cooperation in trade and investments and on renewable energies.
South Korea is Germany's third-biggest export market in Asia after China and Japan, while Germany is South Korea's most important trade partner in Europe.
Regional issues in Europe and Asia will also be on the agenda, the presidential office said. Lee will also make a stop in the central city of Frankfurt to meet with the South Korean community there.
In Denmark, former business executive Lee is to meet Queen Margrethe and Premier Lars Lokke Rasmussen, while in France he is to hold talks with President Nicolas Sarkozy.
The visit precedes the July 1 activation of a free trade treaty between South Korea and the European Union. The legislature in Seoul ratified the pact on Wednesday. The European Parliament approved it in February.