Bush visits South Korea

SEOUL, July 31 (UPI) -- Former U.S. President George W. Bush arrived Friday in South Korea to give a speech at the annual forum of the Federation of Korean Industries.

Bush plans to remain in the country until Tuesday, with an itinerary that includes Hahoe Folk Village, a popular tourist destination since Queen Elizabeth II of Britain visited in 1999, the Yonhap news agency reported. The president is also scheduled to play golf with business executives on the southern island of Jeju, where the forum is being held.

He will speak Saturday on the importance of free trade to the United States and South Korea and on the world economic crisis. A U.S.-South Korea free trade agreement has not yet received legislative approval in either country.

Bush travels Monday to Andong, a city about 200 miles south of Seoul as a guest of Ryu Jin, chairman of the defense giant Poongsang Group. The former president is scheduled to speak at a high school in the city and to visit nearby Hahoe.