South Korean President Park Geun-hye will make state visits to India and Switzerland next week before attending an annual meeting of global business leaders and politicians at the Swiss ski resort of Davos, the presidential office announced Thursday.

The Jan. 15-18 trip to India is aimed mainly at enhancing economic cooperation with Asia’s third-largest economy with a massive market of 1.2 billion people. Economic issues are expected to top the agenda for Park’s summit with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The two leaders are also expected to discuss ways to strengthen diplomatic and defense cooperation and to lay the groundwork for greater cooperation in science and technology, the basis for Park’s “creative economy” drive calling for technological innovations.

Security issues on the Korean Peninsula and in the region are also expected to be on the agenda.

Other itineraries of the four-day visit were not immediately available.

From India, Park will fly to Switzerland on Saturday for a four-day state visit that includes a summit with President Didier Burkhalter about ways to expand trade and investment, strengthening cooperation in vocational education, science and technology, and global issues, the office said.

Park will be the first South Korean president ever to make a state visit to Switzerland since the two countries forged diplomatic relations in 1963. (Yonhap News)