SEOUL, S.Korea - President Lee Myung-Bak called Tuesday for better relations between South Koreans and Chinese citizens, who often engage in a war of words on the Internet.

His remarks came after Lee held a trilateral summit in Beijing last Saturday with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama.

"Holding talks with the Chinese leader, I realized there had been much diplomatic progress in South Korea-China relations, but that there is much to be desired in the civilian sector such as public sentiment towards each other on the Internet," Lee told his cabinet.

He instructed his ministers to find ways to help build a "friendly bond" between the two peoples, according to spokeswoman Kim Eun-Hye.

South Korea and China established diplomatic relations in 1992 and Beijing is now the country's top trade partner.

But Internet users on both sides often engage in slanging matches over nationalistic issues, such as claims by Chinese scholars that the ancient Kingdom of Goguryeo is part of China's history.

The kingdom, which ended in the 7th century, covered northern China and much of the Korean peninsula.