Park vows to join efforts against terrorism

By Kim Kwang-tae ANTALYA, Turkey, Nov. 15 (Yonhap) -- President Park Geun-hye pledged Sunday to join international efforts to root out terrorism as she met with counterparts from the United States and other major countries on the first day of their annual summit in Turkey. She also conveyed deep condolences to France over the deadly terror attacks in Paris at a luncheon session of the Group of 20 advanced and emerging economies. The two-day summit in the Mediterranean resort city of Antalya was overshadowed by terrorism following the attacks in Paris that killed more than 120 people. Park and other world leaders are expected to hold further discussions on how to cope with terrorism later in the day. The luncheon session was meant to discuss how to contribute to the adoption of a proposed new deal on climate change. Park asked member states of the G-20 countries to make aggressive efforts for a successful launch and implementation of the deal to combat climate change, according to Cheong Wa Dae, South Korea's presidential office. In June, South Korea offered to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 37 percent by 2030 from 850.6 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalents, an amount Seoul says it would reach if it lets business run as usual. The discussions over lunch came two weeks ahead of a crucial U.N. Climate Change Conference that France is set to host to produce a new legally binding deal to cut greenhouse gas emissions that scientists say are to blame for global warming. The deal is set to be applicable to all countries and seeks to keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius. Park emphasized the importance of transferring technologies as well as financial aid to developing countries to help achieve that goal. In a separate session, Park and other world leaders began discussions on how to coordinate policies for inclusive and robust growth and review the progress of the growth strategies they laid out at last year's G-20 summit in Australia. Last year, the world leaders set the goal to lift their combined gross domestic product by at least 2 percent by 2018. At the G-20 summit in Australia, South Korea's economic plan received a top rating from the International Monetary Fund and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Park said it's important to faithfully carry out the growth strategies laid out at last year's G-20 summit. She also explained to the world leaders about tangible results of reforms she has pursued in four key areas -- the public sector, the labor market, finance and education. Park also renewed her calls for international support to her initiative to create a Northeast Asia Development Bank that would specialize in development in China's northeast and Russia's Far East as well as North Korea. She suggested that South Korea will join hands with the international community to invest in infrastructure in North Korea and other parts of Northeast Asia, where annual demand is expected to be US$63 billion a year, if Pyongyang abandons its nuclear weapons program and embraces openness and cooperation. Still, North Korea has repeatedly vowed to develop its economy and nuclear arsenal in tandem, viewing its nuclear program as a powerful deterrent against what it claims is Washington's hostile policy. Park was seated next to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the session. The two leaders also exchanged pleasantries before the G-20 summit and Abe told Park that there has been a good atmosphere in Japan over bilateral ties since their recent summit in Seoul, Japan's Kyodo news agency said. Park told Abe that she was glad to hear that, Kyodo said, citing Japan's Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroshige Seko. Park and Abe also shook hands in a photo-op session ahead of the G-20 summit. Seoul-Tokyo relations remain badly frayed, largely because of Japan's refusal to atone for its past wrongdoings stemming from its colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945. One of the key pending issues is a demand by former Korean sex slaves for Japan's World War II soldiers for an apology and compensation from Japan. Earlier this month, Park met with Abe in Seoul in their first bilateral summit and they agreed to expedite consultations for an early resolution of the issue without specifying a time frame. Separately, Park offered condolences to Britain over the deaths of some British citizens in the terror attacks in France during her bilateral meeting with British Prime Minister David Cameron on the sidelines of the G-20 summit. "Park strongly condemned the terror attacks again," presidential spokesman Jeong Yeon-guk told reporters. Park also said South Korea "will actively join international efforts to eradicate terrorism." Park and Cameron agreed to further strengthen cooperation to improve crisis management capabilities, Jeong said. Last year, South Korea helped evacuate nearly 50 British citizens from Libya. The two leaders also agreed to seek close cooperation in peacekeeping operations in Africa and to develop their cooperative ties forged in the process of ending an Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone. Earlier this year, South Korea completed its Ebola relief mission in the West African nation. It was the first time the South Korean government has sent an emergency relief team to fight the outbreak of an epidemic overseas. entropy@yna.co.kr (END)