President Lee Jae Myung on Thursday welcomed East Timorese President Jose Ramos-Horta's first visit to Korea, expressing hope for a stronger partnership between the two countries on the occasion of next year's 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations. Lee wrote the message on his X account, as Horta was scheduled to make an official visit to Korea from Thursday through Saturday, marking the first trip to Korea by an East Timorese leader since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 2002. Lee and Horta will hold a summit Friday to explore ways to enhance tangible cooperation in various fields, including diplomacy, security, intellectual property, climate change and human exchanges. "The Republic of Korea and the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste have built a longstanding friendship founded on our shared values of peace and democracy," Lee said, referring to the two countries by their official names. "Our partnership has grown through cooperation in economic and social development, and today, our two countries stand as steadfast partners supporting each other on the internat