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In fierce competition, capital beats out Incheon, Jeju and Busan as host
November 07, 2009
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| Seoul was selected as the host city of the Group of 20 summit in November of next year, the Blue House said yesterday. “Formation of the preparatory committee for the meeting of leaders of the world’s advanced and emerging economies was finalized one year ahead of the global summit,” said presidential spokesman Park Sun-kyu. “The committee will be led by Sakong Il, the head of the G-20 Summit Coordinating Committee and the chairman of the Korea International Trade Association.” Yoon Jin-sik, presidential senior secretary for economic affairs and the chief policy director of the Blue House, will work as a vice chairman of the preparatory committee. Lee Chang-yong, vice chairman of the Financial Services Commission, was appointed as the planning and coordination chief, a vice minister-level post, to oversee the setting of the financial summit’s agenda. While Yoon will keep his Blue House post, Lee will leave the commission and serve the committee full time, Park said. Competition has been fierce to host the Group of 20 summit, the largest diplomatic event in Korea’s history. Incheon, Jeju, Busan and Seoul all competed to win the event. Officials said transportation and lodging capabilities were considered decisive factors in Seoul’s favor. “To host such a large-scale international conference, we need convention centers and lodging facilities to accommodate not only the world leaders but also their delegates and various countries’ journalists,” said Park. “We only have a year left ahead of the summit, and there’s not enough time to begin construction projects in other cities.” In addition to the 20 heads of state of the Group of 20 member countries, heads of major international organizations, including the European Commission, United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund and Financial Stability Forum, are expected to attend the conference. Seoul was also chosen because of airport issues, Park said, adding that delegates from around the world are expected to arrive en masse within a very short time period . “While the summit will take place in Seoul, other minister- and vice minister-level meetings linked to the G-20 will be hosted by other cities around the nation,” he said. The preparatory committee will handle key issues to prepare the event ranging from agenda setting and promotion to security. Until now, the presidential commission on G-20 summit planning and coordination, led by Sakong, had worked on Korea’s hosting of the event. The commission will be consolidated with other G-20 teams in the Ministry of Strategy and Finance and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade to create the preparatory committee. By Ser Myo-ja [myoja@joongang.co.kr] |
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