S. Korea to name host city for int'l LMO convention

SEOUL, Feb. 27 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will soon name the host city of an international meeting of countries on biosafety of genetically modified organisms, the government said Wednesday. The country is set to host the seventh meeting of the parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety next year. "The government will name the host city of the meeting of the parties to the convention before the end of March and also start preparing for the event by launching a preparation committee," the Ministry of Knowledge Economy said in a press release. The 2014 meeting is expected to attract some 2,000 people, including government officials from 165 signatories, to the biosafety protocol and representatives from related businesses and non-governmental organizations. The protocol provides safety guidelines for the so-called living modified organisms (LMOs), and went into effect in September 2003. At the upcoming meeting, the signatory countries are expected to seek to adopt a guidance on how to evaluate biosafety of LMO products, according to the ministry. "The Ministry of Knowledge Economy seeks to actively coordinate different opinions among the parties to help secure a way to ensure safety of LMO products," it said. South Korea currently imports all its LMO products from overseas, mostly from the United States, according to the ministry. In 2011, the country imported 7.85 million tons of LMO, 24 percent of which were for human consumption with the rest used for animal feed. bdk@yna.co.kr (END)