G20 at a glance by numbers

By Park Si-soo

South Korea successfully hosted the two-day G20 summit, elevating its global status. The followings are some numbers that characterize the gathering of the 20 global leaders. ― ED.

50,000

Nearly 50,000 armed police and troops were mobilized to safeguard the heads of state or government who visited Seoul to attend the G20 summit.

More than 4,000 police and rifle-armed commandos patrolled in and around Coex, the venue for the summit, around the clock. They also regularly inspected nearly 3,000 facilities, including subway stations and the nearby underground shopping mall, within a 2-kilometer radius of the Coex. But the concentrated forces caused security loophole elsewhere.

12

Twelve five-star hotels in Seoul accommodated VIPs and their aides during the G20 summit. Roughly 3,000 rooms of the hotels were taken. U.S. President Barack Obama stayed at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Hannam-dong just a few kilometers away from the U.S. Army Garrison at Yongsan, while Chinese President Hu Jintao stayed at the Shilla Hotel in Jangchung-dong. Many European state leaders chose hotels in southern Seoul ― German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero sojourned at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Yeoksam-dong.

14

A total of 14 languages were used at the summit. English was the official language but interpretation services for the other languages, including Korean, French, Spanish and Arabic, were provided to overcome language barriers.

The organizing committee recruited 42 well-trained interpreters ― all of whom have over 20 years of experience on the job.

13

A total of 13 first ladies, including South Korea’s Kim Yoon-ok, enjoyed a variety of events on the sidelines of the G20 summit. Among them were Liu Yongqing from China; Margarita Zavala from Mexico; Emine Erdogan from Turkey; and Laureen Harper from Canada. U.S. Michelle Obama didn’t accompany her husband.

The first ladies visited Leeum Samsung Museum of Art, Changdeok Palace and watched a fashion show that promoted Korean traditional costumes, or hanbok.

63,000,000,000

Seoul City alone spent more than 63 billion won remodeling and upgrading facilities to be used during the G20 summit, said Seoul City Council member Kim Yong-seok. The entire budget for the summit seems to be far higher than that, Kim said.

Some criticized the government for the alleged lavish expenditure of taxpayers’ money for the two-day event. No official record has been available since budget-related information will be kept a state secret until the end of the year. The organizing committee has refused to comment on the issue.

5,829

A total of 5,829 volunteers were at the G20 summit venue and other related areas to help the historic event proceed smoothly. Selected through fierce competition, they provided interpretation services and dealt with major affairs in and around Coex. Some were dispatched to the hotels of the participating leaders, while others supported delegates and foreign reporters. Among them was Lim Myung-sook, 53, who worked for 20 years at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, dealing with protocol affairs. Lim retired from the position in 2005. Another noted volunteer was Shin Soo-kyung, 63, who has worked for three decades at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington. Shin took time off to tackle the role.

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The age gap between the youngest and oldest leaders at the G20 summit was 34 years. British Prime Minister David Cameron, 44, was the youngest, while Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, 78, was the oldest. Among the leaders of the three major Asian economies ― South Korea, China and Japan ― President Lee Myung-bak of South Korea, 69, came first in order of age, followed by Chinese President Hu Jintao, 68, and Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan, 64.

숫자로 보는 G20 정상회의

50,000
약 5만명의 경찰과 무장군인이 G20 행사기간 동안 동원되었다. 행사가 열린 코엑스 주변에만 4,000명 이상이 배치되어 회의장은 물론 그로부터 2킬로 이내에 있는 모든 지역을 24시간 철통 같은 경계했다. 하지만 이러한 경찰력 집중으로 인해 지방 일부 지역에는 공권력 공백이 발생하기도 했다.

12
G20에 참석한 정상들과 수행원들은 서울시내 12개 특급호텔에 3,000여 개의 객실에 나누어 투숙했다. 미국 오바마 대통령은 한남동에 있는 그랜드하얏트 호텔에서 숙박했다. 용산미군기지와의 인접성 때문에 이곳을 선택한 것으로 알려져 있다. 중국 후진타오 대통령은 장충동에 위치한 신라호텔에서 묶었다.

14
이번 정상회담은 14개의 언어로 통역되었다. 회의 공식언어는 영어였지만 회의의 원활한 진행을 위해 다양한 언어의 통역서비스가 제공되었다. 20년 이상의 경력을 갖은 총 42명의 베테랑 통역사가 활약하였다.

13
총 13명의 영부인이 참석하였다. 회의기간 동안 영부인들은 리움박물관과 창덕궁 방문을 방문하였고, 한복의 우수성을 주제로 한 패션쇼를 관람하였다.

63,000,000,000
서울시의회 김용석 의원은 서울시가 이번 회의를 준비하는데 630억원을 사용했다고 밝혔다. 서울시 이외의 기관에서 지출한 예산을 합하면 이보다 더 클 것이라고 밝혔다. 하지만 정확한 예산과 관련된 자료는 연말이 되야 공개될 예정이다.

5,829
총 5,829명의 자원봉사자가 활약을 했다. 자원봉사자들 중에는 2005년까지 미국 대사관에서 근무했던 임명숙씨와 워싱턴에 위치한 IMF에서 근무하고 있는 신수경씨도 포함되어 있었다. 임씨는 자원봉사를 위해 휴가를 내고 귀국했다.

34
최고령 정상과 최연소 정상의 나이차이는 34살이다. 영국의 캐머런 총리는 44세. 최고령 정상인 만모한 싱 인도총리는 78세. 한중일 삼국의 정상가운데서는 이명박 대통령이 69세로 가정 연장자였다 후진타오 중국대통령이 68세. 칸 나오토 일본총리가 64세이다.