S. Korea to bid for 2012 U.N. climate summit

COPENHAGEN, Dec. 13 (Yonhap) -- South Korea is seeking to host a global climate
summit in 2012 in a bid to show its commitment to combating global warming, South
Korean officials here said Sunday.

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak will deliver a keynote speech on Thursday at
the United Nations climate summit, revealing a plan to hold the 2012 U.N.
Framework Convention on Climate Change in Seoul, said the officials, who asked
anonymity.
"The turn to host the 2012 climate summit will be awarded to an Asian nation ...
and there are no negative views on our bidding to host the conference," said an
official.
The conference that aims to create a replacement for the U.N. Kyoto Protocol on
climate change, which expires in 2012, will run Monday through Dec. 18.
Leaders from 194 nations will try to settle disputes over to what extent
mandatory emissions cuts should be imposed on poor or rich countries.
South Korea, although not obliged to cut emissions under the Kyoto Protocol,
unveiled its plan last month to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent from
its forecast, or "business-as-usual" (BAU), level in 2020. This would be
equivalent to reducing the country's emissions by 4 percent from its 2005 level.
sam@yna.co.kr
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