G-20 Speakers' Consultation in Seoul to enhance South Korea's image

SEOUL, May 17 (Yonhap) -- The G-20 Speakers' Consultation, a three-day gathering of parliamentary speakers of the Group of 20 countries, will kick off in Seoul Wednesday to discuss ways to tackle global issues and share experiences of growth.
The Speakers' Consultation, held on the heels of the G-20 summit meeting last year, will deal with global issues such as the rising concerns over terrorism and the safety of atomic power plants, which became a major concern of the global community following the recent disastrous accidents at nuclear reactors in Japan.
We hope the Seoul gathering will be a chance to establish the Speakers' Consultation as a regular forum and summit of global parliamentary leaders, which can complement the achievements of the G-20 summit meeting.
The Seoul Speakers' Consultation, the second of its kind after the inaugural session in Canada in September, is drawing attention as it comes as security alerts arise around the world following the death of Osama bin Laden and during ongoing political unrest in the Middle East and North Africa.
Under the main theme of "Safe World, Better Future," participants will talk about three subjects: parliamentary cooperation for world peace and anti-terrorism, assistance for developing nations, and international cooperation for joint growth in the post-financial crisis era.
The meeting will also seek parliamentary collaboration to reduce trade imbalance and pursue sustainable growth by supporting developing nations in various fields. The participants will adopt a joint declaration at the end of the conference Friday, calling for each nation to collaborate on global anti-terrorism measures, inter-parliamentary diplomacy and shared growth between developing and advanced countries, according to organizers.
A traditional Korean house, which was recently built inside the National Assembly compound, will be used for receptions and other sideline events for foreign guests while the conference will be held at the Rotunda Hall of the main Assembly building.
We expect the G-20 Speakers' Consultation in Seoul to be an occasion to spread Korean culture among world leaders as Korean Speaker Park Hee-tae has hoped.
We also hope the event will serve as a chance for the South Korean parliament to take a meaningful step toward becoming an advanced legislature, doing away with past practices of holding extreme rival confrontations and exchanging violence.