Symbol of G20 Summit

By Cho Jin-seo
Staff reporter

Seoul selected an image of a traditional shaded lantern as the symbol of the G20 summit to be held here in November.

The G20 preparation committee also opened its official English website at www.seoulsummit.kr on Thursday, as well as a pressroom for media in its headquarters building near Cheong Wa Dae.

The image of the "Chung-sa-cho-rong" lantern symbolizes that the summit should be a guiding light to the world into the uncertain future, the committee said; in the old days, the blue and red shaded lantern was used by travelers or at various ceremonies.

"This official symbol represents Korea's commitment to furthering the work of the G20, and helping to guide the world economy beyond the financial crisis," said Sakong Il, chairman of the Presidential Committee for the G20 Summit.

The Seoul summit is the fifth of its kind since it was initiated in November 2008 in Washington.

The world's 20 largest economies, including the European Union, have been meeting in a series of presidential and ministerial meetings to plan a fast recovery from the recent financial crisis.

The members met in Toronto last month, but made few agreements on financial reform plans. They want to finalize global reform actions when they meet in Seoul in November. The agenda includes tighter bank regulations and the reform of international financial organizations.

The Chung-sa-cho-rong also incorporates an image of the sun rising over the sea, the committee's press release said. The 20 rays coming from the center represent the 20 members of the meeting.

The symbol was originally designed by Jang Dae-young, a 23-year-old design student at Gyeongsang National University, who beat 2,278 other contestants. The committee then retouched Jang's original work, making it look simpler and more bureaucratic.

The committee also announced the official Korean slogan which roughly translates as "with people to the world; with the world to the future."

The government wants to use the summit as a chance to promote Korea to the world, as it did with the 1988 Olympic Games and 2002 World Cup. The preparation committee is planning to open a Twitter account and a blog of Sakong Il as well.

Security is another issue the government is struggling to tackle. On Wednesday, the committee told the press not to report on the accommodation arrangements of national leaders during the event.