 The Coex and its surrounding area, the main venue for the G20 Summit, are nearly empty of cars and people under tight security, Thursday. / Korea Times |
By Lee tae-hoon
Development issues and the establishment of a global financial safety net, known as the “Korea Initiative,” will appear for the first time as main agenda items for the premium forum for global economic cooperation.
“Let me confess, when Korea was decided as a G20 host country in Pittsburgh, there was strong reluctance to introduce new issues,” said Ahn Ho-young, deputy trade minister, in a press briefing at the Coex media center, southern Seoul.
Ahn said President Lee Myung-bak also wanted to focus on the implementation of commitments made in the past four G20 summits in hopes of not making a common mistake that large international institutions often commit ― making a host of promises and failing to honor them.
But Lee will introduce two new initiatives, in which Korea has a comparative advantage, to the summit.
Ahn said that the existence of the G20 as the premium forum for international economic cooperation may be threatened if it does not pay attention to voices of non-G20 nations and fails to meet growing challenges to maintain the momentum and solidify its position.
He claimed that to fully assume this leadership role, the G20 should recognize that it has an important role to play in responding to the needs and concerns of the international community.
Korea, the first non-G8 country to host a G20 summit and the first recipient-turned-donor country, has been proactive in outreach activities toward some 170 non-G20 members in order to share information on the G20 process and gather opinions from the broader international community.
![[INTERVIEW] Partnership with allies is key to Seoul's space plans](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/7c6f5aaf019240eeb38dcf75f9d97cb3.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
![[INTERVIEW] Lee Jun-hyuk unrecognizable in 'The Roundup: No Way Out'](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/77a9da6df7da4284adbee249a87307c1.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
