Gov. Linda Lingle will lead an 11-day business development trip to Asia from Oct. 23 to Nov. 3.

The governor will visit Seoul, South Korea; Beijing; and Ehime Prefecture in Japan. It will be the governor's second official visit to South Korea and China and her third visit to Japan as governor.

It's the Lingle administration's first major foray back to China since the summer of 2005.

"This important trip will build on the success of our previous visits to Korea, China and Japan and our ongoing efforts to further enhance relationships with our neighbors in the Asia-Pacific region," Lingle said in a news release.

"This trip will focus on further developing partnerships that will enable Hawai'i to take the lead in business, tourism and other industries, as well as provide new opportunities for our young people to compete in the global market."

The governor will be accompanied by Marsha Wienert, state tourism liaison; Ted Liu, director of the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism; Maj. Gen. Robert Lee, state adjutant general; and Lenny Klompus, senior adviser on communications.

David McClain, the University of Hawai'i president, and state staff members also will participate in portions of the trip.

Total state costs for the trip are estimated at about $62,000, which will be paid through various agency budgets.