President Park Geun-hye and her Brazilian counterpart Dilma Rousseff on Friday discussed ways to step up business and diplomatic cooperation as the Latin American country spurs its national economic development plans.

Park arrived in Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, a day early for the last leg of her 12-day trip that took her to Colombia, Peru and Chile. During her three-day state visit in Brazil, she is scheduled to take part in a bilateral business forum, meet with Koreans and attend cultural events.

The Korean and Brazilian leaders explored how to build on their comprehensive cooperative partnership forged in 2004, such as intensifying collaboration on medical care, information communication technology and renewable energy, while exchanging views on regional and global issues.

Having secured a second term, Rousseff was expected to have sought greater investment from Korea as Brasilia is speeding up the third phase of its economic growth plans for 2018, with a focus on electricity, health care, energy, transportation and other infrastructure and social service areas.

Brazil is the world’s seventh-largest economy and a prime market for Korean businesses throughout Latin America. The two countries established diplomatic relations in 1959, with bilateral trade reaching $12.5 billion as of 2013.

On Thursday, Park called Korea’s research station in Antarctica to encourage the 17 scientists and engineers on the continent, who are working on climate change, maritime biology and other fields.

The King Sejong Station on King George Island in Antarctica was set up in 1988 following Seoul’s membership to the Antarctic Treaty two years earlier. The facility is named after King Sejong the Great of the Joseon Dynasty, which ruled the peninsula from 1392 to 1910.

The conversation followed a summit between Park and Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, during which they agreed to boost cooperation on Antarctic study and initiate related policy dialogue.

By Shin Hyon-hee (heeshin@heraldcorp.com)