South Korea, Iran to expand cooperation

Iran's top diplomat has requested more investment by South Korean firms in his country as the lifting of UN-led sanctions nears, according to the Foreign Ministry in South Korea.

Meeting with his South Korean counterpart Yun Byung-se in New York, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Iranian people have a good image of South Korean companies, Yonhap News Agency reported on Thursday.

"Minister Zarif requested that South Korean firms launch businesses in Iran more actively," the ministry said after the Yun-Zarif meeting.

Held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session on Wednesday (local time), it marked their first talks since the deal on the Iranian nuclear program in July. Zarif expected a wide web of sanctions on Tehran to be cleared within this year.

The South Korean minister also expressed hope that the nuclear agreement will be implemented smoothly.

"Once sanctions are lifted, South Korea and Iran are expected to expand their cooperation," Yun was quoted as saying. He also said the Iranian deal may have a positive effect on efforts to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue.

The ministers noted growing ties between the two sides in the health care and medical sector.

"They agreed to explore ways to broaden bilateral cooperation into other fields," the ministry said.