By Kim Yon-se
Staff Reporter
President-elect Lee Myung-bak aims to promote foreign investment to Korea by dispatching a former finance minister to the World Economic Forum to be held in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 23-27, officials of the presidential transition committee said Wednesday.
Holding the status of a special envoy of the President-elect, Sa Kong-il, chief of the National Competitiveness Reinforcement Special Committee of the transition team will attend the annual global forum, they said.
The transition team is considering holding a ``Korea Session'' there in coordination with the host of the Davos Forum in a bid to notify investors of Korea's business-friendly conditions, according to the officials.
In addition, Lee, who will take office on Feb. 25, plans to send an online message to global business leaders.
During his stay in Davos, Lee's envoy Sa will meet with a delegation from North Korea, which will reportedly take part in the forum as a newcomer, the officials said.
``The dispatch is apparently in line with the President-elect's policy to expand foreign direct investment,'' a transition committee official said. ``The forum is very important in terms of introducing the next President of Korea and presenting government policy directions to global business leaders.''
Top Korean business leaders will also participate in the forum. Sources said the list includes SK Corp. Chairman Chey Tae-won, Kia Motors President Chung Eui-sun and SK Telecom President Kim Shin-bae.
They expect the information they gather and relationships they develop with foreign businessmen during the gathering will positively affect their globalization strategies.
Among global participants will likely be United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, about 30 political leaders and chiefs of international organizations.
Though domestic CEOs were hesitant to participate in these sorts of global meetings in the late 1990s in the wake of the 1997 financial crisis, they began tapping the opportunities, especially after the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup finals.
Notably, SK Corp. Chairman Chey has participated in the Davos Forum for 10 consecutive years since 1998.
World Trade Organization members, including South Korea, are also likely to hold a mini-ministerial meeting on the sidelines of World Economic Forum Summit at Davos Resort.