By Kim Se-jeong
Staff Reporter
German President Horst Koehler is scheduled to arrive in Korea, Sunday, with two items on his agenda.
German Ambassador to Korea Hans-Ulrich Seidt said Thursday the G-20 Summit to be held in Seoul and cooperation in renewable energy will be two key discussion items during for President Koehler's three-day state visit. Korea will host the summit in November.
Koehler is a second-term President, elected initially in 2004 and reelected last year.
With extensive experience in the banking and finance sector, the President is expected to hold an in-depth discussion with President Lee Myung-bak on designing the G-20 summit agenda, the ambassador said in a news conference at the German Embassy in Seoul.
This year, Korea, together with Canada, will chair summits for the G-20, a group of the world's 20 largest economies.
Koehler served as managing director of the International Monetary Fund in 2000 and state secretary of the German finance ministry in the early 1990s, during which time he coordinated the 1992 Munich G-7 Summit.
He also served as president of the German Savings Bank Association and later became president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development based in London.
The German President will celebrate the launching of Korea's first tidal power project, a joint venture with Germany.
Korean company Renetec and Germany's Voith Hydro have built an underwater turbine that is set for pilot operations. The turbine will be installed near Jin Island off the southwestern coast later this month.
``Initially, we planned to install the turbine while the German President was in Korea. But due to weather conditions, we had to postpone it,'' Park Ji-hoon from Renetec told The Korea Times.
Voith Hydro's success reflects Germany's standing in renewable energy development. The company is the leading supplier for hydropower stations. One-third of the world's hydroelectric power stations use turbines and generators produced by Voith Hydro.
``Our President is keen on developing cooperation with Korea in the field of renewable energy,'' the ambassador said.
Presidents Koehler and Lee will hold a summit on Monday.
Koehler will also visit the National Assembly for talks with speaker Kim Hyong-o.
In addition, he is scheduled to deliver a speech to members of the Korean business community Tuesday.