GOVERNMENT AND BUSINESS LEADERS OPEN ASIA
SOCIETY’S
BUSINESS CONFERENCE IN SEOUL,
FEATURING OPENING KEYNOTE ADDRESS BY
ACTING PRESIDENT GOH KUN
ASIA SOCIETY’S 14TH ASIAN CORPORATE
CONFERENCE TO BE HELD IN SEOUL,
MAY 12-14, 2004
(Seoul, South Korea – May 12, 2004) –
Korea’s place in the global market and the economic future
of Northeast Asia is the focus of Asia Society’s 14th Asian
Corporate Conference, which opened tonight at The Shilla Hotel.
Acting President Goh Kun gave the keynote address
during the gala opening dinner, which was attended by more than
600 guests from throughout Asia and the United States. “Envisioning
the World’s Next Great Market: Korea and the Economic Future
of Northeast Asia” will continue through May 14 and features
sessions examining the region’s growth potential and what
its political and economic leaders are doing to make Northeast Asia
the world’s most attractive area for investment. Deputy
Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and Economy Lee Hun-jai
will give a keynote address on the morning of May 13.
Home to almost a quarter of the world’s population and almost
a third of global GDP outside of the United States, Northeast Asia
is a region with sizable economic strength.
“South Korea already plays a significant role in Northeast
Asia’s economy, but this conference will examine whether it
can make a strong case for becoming the region’s next hub,”
says Asia Society President Nicholas Platt. “This is the fifteenth
year that Asia Society has held the Asian Corporate Conference,
and we have returned to Seoul because of the country’s strong
economic track record as well as its ambitious plans to fulfill
its true growth potential. The conference provides the ideal forum
for this discussion and I look forward to exchanging insights over
the next two days with leading business experts, government officials
and investors from countries as varied as Australia and China.”
A major conference delegation of 50 private-sector executives and
local officials coming from Northeastern China has generated particular
interest in recent days, especially amid the growing debate inside
Korea about China’s impact on the country’s economy.
Many of the drivers behind Northeast China’s economy will
participate in a session dedicated to this issue on May 14.
Conference speakers and delegates—including Asian government
officials and leaders of prominent international corporations and
organizations are to address a range of issues affecting Korea’s
growth potential and the region’s economic future. Sessions
on May 13 and May 14 will address the new Korean economy: its consumer
market, labor issues and trade patterns; Korea’s potential
as a services-oriented international business hub; the role of banks
and financial markets in regional context; the impact of North Korea
on the business climate in the south and prospects for regional
security cooperation; the role of China and Japan in the region’s
economic integration; and ways investors and multinationals can
capitalize on China’s surging trade in the region.
May 13 will also feature a special session on New Songdo City,
a 1,500-acre land reclamation development project along Incheon’s
waterfront that will be a major component of Korea’s efforts
to become a regional business hub. A special ceremony commemorating
the groundbreaking of New Songdo City took place today.
An impressive group of Korean government leaders will participate
in the conference over the next two days. They include Ban
Ki-Moon, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade; Jeong
Se-hyun, Minister of Unification; Kang Chul-kyu,
Chairman of the Korea Fair Trade Commission; Jung-Jae Lee,
Governor of the Financial Supervisory Commission; and Lee
Myung-bak, Mayor of Seoul. The latest information about
the conference, including agenda and speaker updates, is available
on the web at www.AsiaSociety.org/Conference.
The conference is co-organized by Dow Jones. AIG and New Songdo
City Development Corporation are the lead Corporate Benefactors.
Additional sponsorship includes Korea First Bank as Corporate Sponsor;
CJ Corp., E1 Corporation, Korean Air, Lone Star Advisors Korea,
Macquarie Group, Philip Morris Asia Ltd., Poongsan Corporation,
Samyang Corporation, SBS and Warburg Pincus as Corporate Supporters;
and Avaya, Citigroup, FILA Korea Ltd., HSBC, Hyosung Corporation,
Newbridge Capital, POSCO, TS Corporation and Woori Financial Group
as Additional Corporate Supporters.
The American Chamber of Commerce in Korea, The Federation of Korean
Industries, Korea Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Korea Employers
Federation, Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business, Korea
International Trade Association, Korea Society, the Korea-U.S. Business
Council and the U.S-Korea Business Council have agreed to play a
critical role as collaborating organizations, rallying the support
of the foreign business community in Korea.
The Asia Society annually presents a high-profile Corporate Conference
in Asia to examine the implications of macroeconomic trends and
geopolitical developments for the region and the world. Through
keynote addresses by heads of Asian governments and other key decision-makers,
as well as roundtable discussions with business and policy leaders
from around the world, this unique series highlights developments
in the conference site country, while examining the cutting-edge
issues shaping important trends in Asia's dynamic markets and in
the global economy. Since 1989, the Asian Corporate Conference has
attracted a combined audience of more than 12,000 participants from
more than 26 countries around the world.
Asia Society is America’s leading nonprofit, nonpartisan
public education organization dedicated to broadening understanding
of Asia and of U.S.-Asia relations. The Society presents a wide
variety of educational programs on Asian contemporary affairs and
cultures for professional audiences, including business executives,
foreign affairs specialists, the media and the general public. The
Asia Society's Business Programs provide a leading forum for executives
to meet the policy makers and business leaders who shape the Asia
Pacific business environment. Asia Society is headquartered in New
York, with regional centers in Washington, D.C., Houston, Los Angeles,
San Francisco, Hong Kong, Manila, Melbourne, Australia, and a representative
office in Shanghai. Asia Society is on the World Wide Web at www.asiasociety.org.
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