Summit Preparations Detailed, Airtight

Exec. Dir. Lee of Preparatory Office for Jeju Summit confident its success will bring Jeju into international spotlight

The ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit from May 31 to June 2 on Jeju Special Self Governing Province is a summit meeting to celebrate Korea's 20 years of ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and also the first multinational summit to be held in Korea since the inauguration of President Lee Myung-bak.
The event is also a signal for the opening of the New Asia Initiatives of the Lee Myung-bak administration to expand Korea's exchanges with ASEAN, drawing significant attention from Korean people looking for an economic breakthrough.
Following is an interview with Executive Director Lee Ji-ha of the Preparatory Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade for the ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit:
Question: How are the preparations for the summit going?
Answer: The Preparatory Office for the upcoming summit is busy making sure that nothing goes wrong in preparing for the largest diplomatic meeting under President Lee Myung-bak in such matters as agenda, transportation, lodging and banquet, among others, so that the leaders will feel comfortable and the gathering will be impressive. The Southeast Asia and Oceania Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MOFAT) is in charge of preparing the agenda and contents of the summit, while safety and security are being taken care of by the Security and Safety Control Team made up of both military and police units. The central government and Jeju Special Self-Governing Province have been closely cooperating. Koh Kyung-sil is chief of the province's preparatory team.
Q: Hasn't the period for preparation been considerably shorter than usual?
A: That's right. It took four years to prepare for the ASEM Summit, and from two to three years for the APEC Summit. The preparation for the ASEAN Summit got underway in October last year with the preparatory team launched on Oct. 1, just seven months ago.
The decision for the Summit was made at the ASEAN foreign ministers meeting in July last year and Foreign Minister Yu is head of the preparatory team for the government side with members made up of deputy ministers from all government ministries as well as the deputy governor of Jeju Special Province and civilian consultants.
Our planning team is scheduled to move into action as soon as the leaders set foot on the island, meeting them at the airport and acting as guides.
Our preparation has been satisfactory and not too pressed for time. We mainly inspected the venue and surrounding areas, and on April 13 we invited ambassadors from ASEAN countries stationed in Seoul to Jeju Island and explained to them the progress of the preparations.
The summit will take place at the ICC Jeju, which went through repairs and a face-lift in answer to the call of the Jeju provincial governor and the residents who want to make the summit an opportunity to spur the convention and tourism industries on the island by forming a promotion committee to realize their ambition.
Jeju is all out to make the international event a great success for the island and for Korea with their hard work going into such areas as an improved city environment, beautification, kindness, the construction of a 20 km long ASEAN street with each ASEAN country taking up 2 km, decorated with various flowers and many sideline events.
Q: What are the sideline events?
A: The ASEAN Forum and traditional tourist and cultural events are being prepared to let the foreign guests experience Korean culture and traditions on the part of Jeju Province. On the level of the central government, sideline events would include those to expand the public understanding of ASEAN and forge closer relations with the regional organization. The government will run an ASEAN Week from May 24 to June 2 from Seoul to Jeju, which is being publicized with the logo for the special event.
KBS and Joongang Daily News are preparing special reports on the upcoming Summit and have sent reporters to ASEAN member countries, along with reporters covering MOFAT. They will hold interviews with important people and business firms to publicize ASEAN member countries, especially their relations with Korean firms.
At the same time, reporters from ASEAN member countries have been invited to Korea to let them report on the situation in Korea, including the progress of preparations for the upcoming summit, industrial facility tours such as the IT and green growth industries, and tours of Jeju Island from May 17-21. The public relations program on the part of the host country of the Jeju event also include President Lee Myung-bak writing columns in major dailies in ASEAN member countries to explain the significance of the Jeju Summit to people in those countries.
Short films were prepared for broadcasting in ASEAN countries as well as at home, along with those to be shown on electronic boards and placards to publicize the summit. I called on President Lee on two occasions to report on the progress of preparations for the summit and came away with the impression that the president is a very detailed and rational man, fully versed in practical diplomacy, especially the benefits it can bring to the country.
He said the Chief Executive seemed to think that the summit is very important to Jeju, as it finally earned the right to host a large international meeting, after missing the APEC and ASEM summits.
Q: Will there be exhibitions on the sidelines during the summit?
A: Green growth policies pushed by the government will be exhibited at an exhibition hall organized by theme, and over 650 business executives from ASEAN countries registered to participate in the CEO Summit. ASEAN is very important to Korea in terms of trade as it has become the third largest importer of Korean goods, after China and the United States, outpacing even Japan.
It's the second largest importer of Korean capital and the second largest construction market in Asia after China and has abundant natural resources.
They also think highly of Korea as the fifth largest trading partner to ASEAN and as a nation with so much economic development experience that Indonesian President Yudhoyono will attend the Jeju Summit despite a national election in his country in July.
Q: In detail, how was Korea able to bring the ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit to Jeju Island?
A: Korea attends a number of meetings related to ASEAN every year including the ASEAN+3 Summit, ASEAN+1 Summit and EAS. Korea attended the first ASEAN meeting in 1989 and this is the 20th anniversary of the first meeting.
I feel that the upcoming summit is likely to have very good results. Since it is a special meeting, each head of state will make a keynote speech at each session of the CEO Summit. Six heads of state will make keynote speeches, while two others will attend session meetings. CEOs will have a very meaningful time as they will meet with heads of state, discuss business with each other at various meetings including a small group meeting and product briefing and investment explanation sessions.
Q: How are you preparing for Korean cultural events?
A: Some 52 traditional musicians will play musical instruments from 79 countries at the summit as members of the ASEAN traditional music orchestra. All different musicians got together in February and created a new culture by playing together as an orchestra. They will create a new kind of music in perfect harmony with each other as shown in the practice sessions. The orchestra will play twice, once for heads of state, CEOs and their entourages and once for Jeju residents.
Q: How will the summit sessions be organized?
A: On June 1 and 2, two large sessions will be held. During the first session on June 1, items to be discussed include the exchange of opinions on the evaluation of ASEAN-ROK relations and future development directions. On June 2, the second session will be devoted to discussing the global economic crisis, climate change, the food situation, energy security and other global issues. At the end of both sessions, heads of state will sign the items discussed and announce a joint-statement and hold a joint press conference with President Lee and Thai Prime Minister Vejjajiva, who is co-chairman of the summit.
Q: What kinds of foods and alcoholic beverages will be provided to attendees?
A: A traditional Korean menu will be provided to the heads of state and cabinet ministers who accompany them during the official lunch following 30 minutes of Korean traditional cultural performance. Korean traditional fruit wine and rice wine indigenous to Jeju will be served to the heads of state and their entourages, to accompany Korean traditional foods. Wives of the heads of state will tour scenic spots on the island including the Chunji Falls and the Jeju Folk Village. Other people from ASEAN countries will be offered free tours of famous spots on Jeju including Sunrise Peak, Olle, the deep-sea women divers and Mt. Halla. nw

Executive Director Lee Ji-ha of the Preparatory Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade for the ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit