2010 G-20 Seoul summit
Encyclopedia
The 2010 G20 Seoul Summit was the fifth meeting of the G-20
heads of government
, to discuss the global financial system
and the world economy
, which took place in Seoul
, South Korea on November 11–12, 2010. Korea was the first non-G8
nation to host a G-20 Leaders Summit.
The G20 is the premier forum for discussing, planning and monitoring international economic
cooperation.
The theme of the summit was "Shared Growth Beyond Crisis."
Representatives met in advance of the leaders' summit. These sherpas were tasked to draft a closing statement for the summit. The debate over currency exchange rates and imbalances was reported to have been "heated."
).
Originally, three new artificial islands built on the Han River
between the Banpo
and Dongjak bridges
were going to be used as the main summit venue. However, delayed construction of the islands led for the main summit venue to relocate to COEX Convention & Exhibition Center
.
The Republic of Korea Armed Forces and Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency
provided security for the summit venues and the vicinity.
and traveled to the summit venue via motorcades along the highway from the airport.
Transportation around the summit venue was upgraded with electric buses to help media and others around the city.
, which comprises 19 countries and the European Union which is represented by its two governing bodies, the European Council
and the European Commission
, Representatives from other nations and regional organizations were invited to take part in the summit.
The South Korean government declined to invite the Netherlands, which had been invited to attend all four previous G20 summits. A Korean spokesman said that "a certain region had been over-represented" in the past; and for this Asian summit, Singapore
was invited.
This was the first summit at which there were four women among the leaders. In addition to President Kirchner of Argentina, Prime Minister Gillard of Australia, and Chancellor Merkel of Germany, the president-elect of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff
, accompanied her nation's delegation.
The was the first G20 summit for Australia's Prime Minister Gillard, who was only elected shortly before the Toronto summit
. This was also the first opportunity for Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong
of Singapore to listen and to make his voice heard at the G20 leaders' meetings.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;"|G-20 members
Host nation and leader are indicated in bold text.
|- style="background:#ccc; text-align:center;"
! colspan=2 | Member
! Represented by
! Title
|-
!
| Argentina
| Cristina Fernández de Kirchner
| President
|-
!
| Australia
| Julia Gillard
| Prime Minister
|-
!
| Brazil
| Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
| President
|-
!
| Canada
| Stephen Harper
| Prime Minister
|-
!
| China
| Hu Jintao
| President
|-
!
| France
| Nicolas Sarkozy
| President
|-
!
| Germany
| Angela Merkel
| Chancellor
|-
!
| India
| Manmohan Singh
| Prime Minister
|-
!
| Indonesia
| Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
| President
|-
!
| Italy
| Silvio Berlusconi
| Prime Minister
|-
!
| Japan
| Naoto Kan
| Prime Minister
|-
!
| Mexico
| Felipe Calderón
| President
|-
!
| Russia
| Dmitry Medvedev
| President
|-
!
| Saudi Arabia
| Saud bin Faisal bin Abdul Aziz
| Foreign Minister
|-
!
| South Africa
| Jacob Zuma
| President
|-
!
| South Korea
| Lee Myung-bak
| President
|-
!
| Turkey
| Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
| Prime Minister
|-
!
| United Kingdom
| David Cameron
| Prime Minister
|-
!
| United States
| Barack Obama
| President
|-
! rowspan="2" |
| European Commission
| Jose Manuel Barroso
| President
|-
| European Council
| Herman Van Rompuy
| President
|-
{| class="wikitable"
|-
| colspan="4" style="text-align:center; background:Gainsboro;"|Invited states
|- style="background:LightSteelBlue; text-align:center;"
! colspan=2 | State
! Represented by
! Title
|-
!
| Singapore
| Lee Hsien Loong
| Prime Minister
|-
!
| Spain
| José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
| Prime Minister
|-
!
| Vietnam
| Nguyễn Tấn Dũng
| Prime Minister
|-
{| class="wikitable"
|-
| colspan="4" style="text-align:center; background:Gainsboro;"|International organisations
|- style="background:LightSteelBlue; text-align:center;"
! colspan=2 | Organisation
! Represented by
! Title
|-
!
| African Union
| Bingu wa Mutharika
|Chairman
|-
! rowspan="2"|
| rowspan="2"| ASEAN
| Surin Pitsuwan
| Secretary General
|-
| Nguyễn Tấn Dũng
| Chairman
|-
!
| Financial Stability Forum
| Mario Draghi
| Chairman
|-
!
| International Labour Organization
| Juan Somavía
| Head
|-
!
| International Monetary Fund
| Dominique Strauss-Kahn
| Managing Director
|-
!
| NEPAD
| Meles Zenawi
| Chairman
|-
!
| OECD
| José Ángel Gurría
| Secretary-General
|-
!
| United Nations
| Ban Ki-moon
| Secretary General
|-
!
| World Bank Group
| Robert Zoellick
| President
|-
!
| World Trade Organization
| Pascal Lamy
| Director-General
|}
, South Korea was more broadly responsible for providing a safe venue for the delegations who come to the summit. The National Police Agency
led the security detail for the summit, both at the convention venue and the airport as well. Other police and security agencies involved were:
In preparation, anti-terrorism drills were held by members of the South Korean police, military, special forces and private sector as part of the 2010 Ulchi-Freedom Guardian
exercises against simulated hostage situations and chemical, biological and radiological attacks as a preparation for the summit.
Plans for accommodating peaceful protesters were paired with plans for mitigating disruptive demonstrations.
The G-20 raised security concerns unrelated to demonstrators protesting the presence of the leaders of 20 economies in Seoul. For example, some analysts projected that anything perceived as a success for South Korea would be simultaneously construed in Pyongyang
as a threat to North Korea.
, environmentalists, anti-capitalists, and other progressive transnational activist networks. For example, G-20 meetings in Toronto
, London
, and Pittsburgh all experienced mass protests and countersummit activities, and the Seoul summit was no exception. Activists criticized the G20 for undermining workers' rights, pressuring governments to cut social programs, and contributing to environmentally destructive policies.
The Sunday before the summit, an estimated 20-40,000 protesters marched peacefully in opposition to the G20 summit and to the US-Korea Free Trade Agreement. The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions
(KCTU), together with other labor unions, NGOs, and activists, organized a 'People's Week of Collective Action,' as well as a 'People's Summit' where thousands gathered to discuss alternative proposals on jobs, labour rights, financial regulation, climate change, Free Trade Agreements, food sovereignty
, poverty, migration, Intellectual Property Rights, and more. On the opening day of the summit, a protest of thousands was marred by police violence. The protests and countersummit were documented extensively by independent media such as Korea Indymedia, demotix, and Jinbonet.
In addition,
Leaders were generally unable to agree on key issues, with commentators such as economist Eswar Prasad
noting the absence of the sense of unity that had been present at summits during the worse of the global financial crisis of 2007 -2009. IMF managing director Dominique Strauss-Kahn
said this particular summit was "more of a G20 debate than a G20 conclusion".
Relating to the need to rebalance the world economy, agreement had been reached to work on indicative guidelines which will set suggested maximum limits for current account
surpluses and deficits, though these are not due to be fleshed out until 2011.
G20 leaders also agreed to endorse the Seoul Development Consensus
, a set of guidelines and principles for working together with less development nations to improve economic growth and reduce poverty. In contrast to the older Washington Consensus
which it supersedes, the Seoul Consensus is less free market orientated, allowing a bigger role for state intervention.
G-20 major economies
The Group of Twenty Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors is a group of finance ministers and central bank governors from 20 major economies: 19 countries plus the European Union, which is represented by the President of the European Council and by the European Central Bank...
heads of government
Head of government
Head of government is the chief officer of the executive branch of a government, often presiding over a cabinet. In a parliamentary system, the head of government is often styled prime minister, chief minister, premier, etc...
, to discuss the global financial system
Global financial system
The global financial system is the financial system consisting of institutions and regulators that act on the international level, as opposed to those that act on a national or regional level...
and the world economy
World economy
The world economy, or global economy, generally refers to the economy, which is based on economies of all of the world's countries, national economies. Also global economy can be seen as the economy of global society and national economies – as economies of local societies, making the global one....
, which took place in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, South Korea on November 11–12, 2010. Korea was the first non-G8
G8
The Group of Eight is a forum, created by France in 1975, for the governments of seven major economies: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In 1997, the group added Russia, thus becoming the G8...
nation to host a G-20 Leaders Summit.
The G20 is the premier forum for discussing, planning and monitoring international economic
cooperation.
The theme of the summit was "Shared Growth Beyond Crisis."
Agenda
The summit leaders addressed several mid- and long-term policy issues, including- Ensuring global economic recovery
- Framework for strong, sustainable, and balanced global growth
- Strengthening the international financial regulatory system
- Modernizing the international financial institutions
- Global financial safety nets
- Development issues
- The risk of a currency warCurrency warCurrency war, also known as competitive devaluation, is a condition in international affairs where countries compete against each other to achieve a relatively low exchange rate for their own currency. As the price to buy a particular currency falls, so to does the real price of exports from the...
Representatives met in advance of the leaders' summit. These sherpas were tasked to draft a closing statement for the summit. The debate over currency exchange rates and imbalances was reported to have been "heated."
Preparations
The summit logo incorporates two images: (a) the sun rising over the sea; and (b) a traditional Korean lantern (cheongsachorongCheongsachorong
A cheongsachorong is a traditional Korean lantern. It is typically made by joining red and blue silk shades and hanging a candle inside the body. Although used historically in wedding ceremonies, it is widely displayed in various cultural exhibitions today in South Korea.A stylized cheongsachorong...
).
Originally, three new artificial islands built on the Han River
Han River (Korea)
The Han River is a major river in South Korea and the fourth longest river on the Korean peninsula after the Amnok, Duman, and Nakdong rivers. It is formed by the confluence of the Namhan River , which originates in Mount Daedeok, and the Bukhan River , which originates on the slopes of Mount...
between the Banpo
Banpo Bridge
The Banpo Bridge is a major bridge in downtown Seoul over the Han River, South Korea, connecting the Seocho and Yongsan districts. The Banpo Bridge is on top of Jamsu Bridge, forming a "double deck" bridge. When the water level rises too high, the Jamsu Bridge becomes covered with water and gets...
and Dongjak bridges
Dongjak Bridge
Dongjak Bridge is a bridge over the Han River in Seoul, South Korea. It carries road traffic and Seoul Subway Line 4, and Dongjak Station is located at the southern end of this bridge. It is a blue truss bridge....
were going to be used as the main summit venue. However, delayed construction of the islands led for the main summit venue to relocate to COEX Convention & Exhibition Center
COEX Convention & Exhibition Center
COEX Convention & Exhibition Center in Gangnam district, Seoul, is one of South Korea's largest convention and exhibition centers. It was designed by Larry Oltmanns who was a Design Partner with SOM at the time...
.
The Republic of Korea Armed Forces and Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency
Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency is the primary police force for the South Korean capital city of Seoul, and is one of 13 provincial police forces in the country, and is headquartered along with the National Police Headquarters in the city itself...
provided security for the summit venues and the vicinity.
Transportation
Most world leaders and international media arrived via Incheon International AirportIncheon International Airport
Incheon International Airport is the largest airport in South Korea, the primary airport serving the Seoul national capital area, and one of the largest and busiest airports in the world...
and traveled to the summit venue via motorcades along the highway from the airport.
Transportation around the summit venue was upgraded with electric buses to help media and others around the city.
Attendance
The participants of the Seoul summit included the leaders and representatives of core members of the G-20 major economiesG-20 major economies
The Group of Twenty Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors is a group of finance ministers and central bank governors from 20 major economies: 19 countries plus the European Union, which is represented by the President of the European Council and by the European Central Bank...
, which comprises 19 countries and the European Union which is represented by its two governing bodies, the European Council
European Council
The European Council is an institution of the European Union. It comprises the heads of state or government of the EU member states, along with the President of the European Commission and the President of the European Council, currently Herman Van Rompuy...
and the European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
, Representatives from other nations and regional organizations were invited to take part in the summit.
The South Korean government declined to invite the Netherlands, which had been invited to attend all four previous G20 summits. A Korean spokesman said that "a certain region had been over-represented" in the past; and for this Asian summit, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
was invited.
This was the first summit at which there were four women among the leaders. In addition to President Kirchner of Argentina, Prime Minister Gillard of Australia, and Chancellor Merkel of Germany, the president-elect of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff
Dilma Rousseff
Dilma Vana Rousseff is the 36th and current President of Brazil. She is the first woman to hold the office. Prior to that, in 2005, she was also the first woman to become Chief of Staff of Brazil, appointed by then President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva....
, accompanied her nation's delegation.
The was the first G20 summit for Australia's Prime Minister Gillard, who was only elected shortly before the Toronto summit
2010 G-20 Toronto summit
The 2010 G-20 Toronto summit was the fourth meeting of the G-20 heads of government, in discussion of the global financial system and the world economy, which took place at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, during June 26–27, 2010...
. This was also the first opportunity for Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong
Lee Hsien Loong
Lee Hsien Loong is the third and current Prime Minister of Singapore. He is married to Ho Ching, who is the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Temasek Holdings. He is the eldest son of Singapore's first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew....
of Singapore to listen and to make his voice heard at the G20 leaders' meetings.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;"|G-20 members
G-20 major economies
The Group of Twenty Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors is a group of finance ministers and central bank governors from 20 major economies: 19 countries plus the European Union, which is represented by the President of the European Council and by the European Central Bank...
Host nation and leader are indicated in bold text.
|- style="background:#ccc; text-align:center;"
! colspan=2 | Member
! Represented by
! Title
|-
!
| Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
| Cristina Fernández de Kirchner
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner
Cristina Elisabet Fernández de Kirchner , commonly known as Cristina Fernández or Cristina Kirchner is the 55th and current President of Argentina and the widow of former President Néstor Kirchner. She is Argentina's first elected female president, and the second female president ever to serve...
| President
President of Argentina
The President of the Argentine Nation , usually known as the President of Argentina, is the head of state of Argentina. Under the national Constitution, the President is also the chief executive of the federal government and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces.Through Argentine history, the...
|-
!
| Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
| Julia Gillard
Julia Gillard
Julia Eileen Gillard is the 27th and current Prime Minister of Australia, in office since June 2010.Gillard was born in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales and migrated with her family to Adelaide, Australia in 1966, attending Mitcham Demonstration School and Unley High School. In 1982 Gillard moved...
| Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Australia
The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
|-
!
| Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
| Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva , known popularly as Lula, served as the 35th President of Brazil from 2003 to 2010.A founding member of the Workers' Party , he ran for President three times unsuccessfully, first in the 1989 election. Lula achieved victory in the 2002 election, and was inaugurated as...
| President
President of Brazil
The president of Brazil is both the head of state and head of government of the Federative Republic of Brazil. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the Brazilian Armed Forces...
|-
!
| Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
| Stephen Harper
Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became prime minister when his party formed a minority government after the 2006 federal election...
| Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
|-
!
| China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
| Hu Jintao
Hu Jintao
Hu Jintao is the current Paramount Leader of the People's Republic of China. He has held the titles of General Secretary of the Communist Party of China since 2002, President of the People's Republic of China since 2003, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission since 2004, succeeding Jiang...
| President
President of the People's Republic of China
The President of the People's Republic of China is a ceremonial office and a part of State organs under the National People's Congress and it is the head of state of the People's Republic of China . The office was created by the 1982 Constitution...
|-
!
| France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
| Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
| President
|-
!
| Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
| Angela Merkel
Angela Merkel
Angela Dorothea Merkel is the current Chancellor of Germany . Merkel, elected to the Bundestag from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, has been the chairwoman of the Christian Democratic Union since 2000, and chairwoman of the CDU-CSU parliamentary coalition from 2002 to 2005.From 2005 to 2009 she led a...
| Chancellor
|-
!
| India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
| Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh is the 13th and current Prime Minister of India. He is the only Prime Minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to return to power after completing a full five-year term. A Sikh, he is the first non-Hindu to occupy the office. Singh is also the 7th Prime Minister belonging to the Indian...
| Prime Minister
Prime Minister of India
The Prime Minister of India , as addressed to in the Constitution of India — Prime Minister for the Union, is the chief of government, head of the Council of Ministers and the leader of the majority party in parliament...
|-
!
| Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
| Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono AC , is an Indonesian politician and retired Army general officer who has been President of Indonesia since 2004....
| President
President of Indonesia
The President of the Republic of Indonesia is the head of state and the head of government of the Republic of Indonesia.The first president was Sukarno and the current president is Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.- Sukarno era :...
|-
!
| Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
| Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi , also known as Il Cavaliere – from knighthood to the Order of Merit for Labour which he received in 1977 – is an Italian politician and businessman who served three terms as Prime Minister of Italy, from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006, and 2008 to 2011. Berlusconi is also the...
| Prime Minister
Prime minister of Italy
The Prime Minister of Italy is the head of government of the Italian Republic...
|-
!
| Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
| Naoto Kan
Naoto Kan
is a Japanese politician, and former Prime Minister of Japan. In June 2010, then-Finance Minister Kan was elected as the leader of the Democratic Party of Japan and designated Prime Minister by the Diet to succeed Yukio Hatoyama. On 26 August 2011, Kan announced his resignation...
| Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Japan
The is the head of government of Japan. He is appointed by the Emperor of Japan after being designated by the Diet from among its members, and must enjoy the confidence of the House of Representatives to remain in office...
|-
!
| Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
| Felipe Calderón
Felipe Calderón
Felipe de Jesús Calderón Hinojosa is the current President of Mexico. He assumed office on December 1, 2006, and was elected for a single six-year term through 2012...
| President
President of Mexico
The President of the United Mexican States is the head of state and government of Mexico. Under the Constitution, the president is also the Supreme Commander of the Mexican armed forces...
|-
!
| Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
| Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev is the third President of the Russian Federation.Born to a family of academics, Medvedev graduated from the Law Department of Leningrad State University in 1987. He defended his dissertation in 1990 and worked as a docent at his alma mater, now renamed to Saint...
| President
|-
!
| Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
| Saud bin Faisal bin Abdul Aziz
Saud bin Faisal bin Abdul Aziz
Saud bin Faisal bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud , also known as Saud Al Faisal, has been the Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia since 1975. He is the world's longest-serving Foreign Minister....
| Foreign Minister
|-
!
| South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
| Jacob Zuma
Jacob Zuma
Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma is the President of South Africa, elected by parliament following his party's victory in the 2009 general election....
| President
President of South Africa
The President of the Republic of South Africa is the head of state and head of government under South Africa's Constitution. From 1961 to 1994, the head of state was called the State President....
|-
!
| South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
| Lee Myung-bak
Lee Myung-bak
Lee Myung-bak is the President of South Korea. Prior to his presidency, he was the CEO of Hyundai Engineering and Construction and the mayor of Seoul. He is married to Kim Yoon-ok and has three daughters and one son. His older brother is Lee Sang-deuk, a South Korean politician. He attends the...
| President
President of South Korea
The President of the Republic of Korea is, according to the Constitution of the Republic of Korea, chief executive of the government, commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and the head of state of the Republic of Korea...
|-
!
| Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
| Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been Prime Minister of Turkey since 2003 and is chairman of the ruling Justice and Development Party , which holds a majority of the seats in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. Erdoğan served as Mayor of Istanbul from 1994 to 1998. He graduated in 1981 from Marmara...
| Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Turkey
The Prime Minister of the Turkey is the head of government in Turkish politics. The prime minister is the leader of a political coalition in the Turkish parliament and the leader of the cabinet....
|-
!
| United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
| David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
| Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
|-
!
| United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
| Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
| President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
|-
! rowspan="2" |
| European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
| Jose Manuel Barroso
| President
President of the European Commission
The President of the European Commission is the head of the European Commission ― the executive branch of the :European Union ― the most powerful officeholder in the EU. The President is responsible for allocating portfolios to members of the Commission and can reshuffle or dismiss them if needed...
|-
| European Council
European Council
The European Council is an institution of the European Union. It comprises the heads of state or government of the EU member states, along with the President of the European Commission and the President of the European Council, currently Herman Van Rompuy...
| Herman Van Rompuy
Herman Van Rompuy
Herman Achille Van Rompuy is the first long-term and full-time President of the European Council...
| President
President of the European Council
The President of the European Council is a principal representative of the European Union on the world stage, and the person presiding over and driving forward the work of the European Council...
|-
{| class="wikitable"
|-
| colspan="4" style="text-align:center; background:Gainsboro;"|Invited states
|- style="background:LightSteelBlue; text-align:center;"
! colspan=2 | State
! Represented by
! Title
|-
!
| Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
| Lee Hsien Loong
Lee Hsien Loong
Lee Hsien Loong is the third and current Prime Minister of Singapore. He is married to Ho Ching, who is the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Temasek Holdings. He is the eldest son of Singapore's first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew....
| Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Singapore
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore is the head of the government of the Republic of Singapore. The President of Singapore appoints as Prime Minister a Member of Parliament who, in his opinion, is most likely to command the confidence of a majority of MPs.The office of Prime Minister...
|-
!
| Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
| José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero is a member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party . He was elected for two terms as Prime Minister of Spain, in the 2004 and 2008 general elections. On 2 April 2011 he announced he will not stand for re-election in 2012...
| Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Spain
The President of the Government of Spain , sometimes known in English as the Prime Minister of Spain, is the head of Government of Spain. The current office is established under the Constitution of 1978...
|-
!
| Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
| Nguyễn Tấn Dũng
| Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Vietnam
-Office:The Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is the head of the executive branch of the Vietnamese government. The Prime Minister presides over the Vietnamese cabinet, and is responsible for appointing and supervising ministers...
|-
{| class="wikitable"
|-
| colspan="4" style="text-align:center; background:Gainsboro;"|International organisations
|- style="background:LightSteelBlue; text-align:center;"
! colspan=2 | Organisation
! Represented by
! Title
|-
!
| African Union
African Union
The African Union is a union consisting of 54 African states. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established on 9 July 2002, the AU was formed as a successor to the Organisation of African Unity...
| Bingu wa Mutharika
Bingu wa Mutharika
Bingu wa Mutharika is a Malawi economist who is President of Malawi. He took office on 24 May 2004 after winning a disputed presidential election...
|Chairman
|-
! rowspan="2"|
| rowspan="2"| ASEAN
| Surin Pitsuwan
Surin Pitsuwan
Surin Pitsuwan is a longtime Thai politician. He was born in Nakhon Si Thammarat, into an assimilated Thai family of Malay descent.-Early life:...
| Secretary General
|-
| Nguyễn Tấn Dũng
| Chairman
|-
!
| Financial Stability Forum
Financial Stability Forum
The Financial Stability Forum was a group consisting of major national financial authorities such as finance ministries, central bankers, and international financial bodies. The Forum was founded in 1999 to promote international financial stability...
| Mario Draghi
Mario Draghi
Mario Draghi is an Italian banker and economist who succeeded Jean-Claude Trichet as President of the European Central Bank on 1 November 2011...
| Chairman
|-
!
| International Labour Organization
International Labour Organization
The International Labour Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that deals with labour issues pertaining to international labour standards. Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland. Its secretariat — the people who are employed by it throughout the world — is known as the...
| Juan Somavía
Juan Somavía
Juan Somavía is the current Director-General of the International Labour Organization .He was elected to serve as the ninth Director-General of the ILO by the Governing Body on 23 March 1998.-Term as Director-General:...
| Head
|-
!
| International Monetary Fund
International Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund is an organization of 187 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world...
| Dominique Strauss-Kahn
Dominique Strauss-Kahn
Dominique Gaston André Strauss-Kahn , often referred to in the media, and by himself, as DSK, is a French economist, lawyer, politician, and member of the French Socialist Party...
| Managing Director
|-
!
| NEPAD
New Partnership for Africa's Development
The New Partnership for Africa's Development is an economic development program of the African Union. NEPAD was adopted at the 37th session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government in July 2001 in Lusaka, Zambia...
| Meles Zenawi
Meles Zenawi
Meles Zenawi Asres is the Prime Minister of Ethiopia. Since 1985, he has been chairman of the Tigrayan Peoples' Liberation Front , and is currently head of the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front .Meles was born in Adwa, Tigray in Northern Ethiopia, to an Ethiopian father from...
| Chairman
|-
!
| OECD
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development is an international economic organisation of 34 countries founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and world trade...
| José Ángel Gurría
José Ángel Gurría
José Ángel Gurría Treviño is a Mexican economist and diplomat. He is the current secretary general of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development since June 1, 2006....
| Secretary-General
|-
!
| United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
| Ban Ki-moon
Ban Ki-moon
Ban Ki-moon is the eighth and current Secretary-General of the United Nations, after succeeding Kofi Annan in 2007. Before going on to be Secretary-General, Ban was a career diplomat in South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the United Nations. He entered diplomatic service the year he...
| Secretary General
|-
!
| World Bank Group
World Bank Group
The World Bank Group is a family of five international organizations that makes leveraged loans, generally to poor countries.The Bank came into formal existence on 27 December 1945 following international ratification of the Bretton Woods agreements, which emerged from the United Nations Monetary...
| Robert Zoellick
Robert Zoellick
Robert Bruce Zoellick is the eleventh president of the World Bank, a position he has held since July 1, 2007. He was previously a managing director of Goldman Sachs, United States Deputy Secretary of State and U.S. Trade Representative, from February 7, 2001 until February 22, 2005.President...
| President
|-
!
| World Trade Organization
World Trade Organization
The World Trade Organization is an organization that intends to supervise and liberalize international trade. The organization officially commenced on January 1, 1995 under the Marrakech Agreement, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade , which commenced in 1948...
| Pascal Lamy
Pascal Lamy
Pascal Lamy is the Director-General of the World Trade Organization, a French political advisor, a businessman, and a former European Commissioner for Trade...
| Director-General
|}
Security
Security for the G-20 summit presented a unique array of problems. In addition to the security of the main venue, COEXCOEX Convention & Exhibition Center
COEX Convention & Exhibition Center in Gangnam district, Seoul, is one of South Korea's largest convention and exhibition centers. It was designed by Larry Oltmanns who was a Design Partner with SOM at the time...
, South Korea was more broadly responsible for providing a safe venue for the delegations who come to the summit. The National Police Agency
National Police Agency (South Korea)
South Korea has a relatively unified and integrated approach law enforcement. For example, the National Police Agency provides all policing services throughout the country...
led the security detail for the summit, both at the convention venue and the airport as well. Other police and security agencies involved were:
- Presidential Security ServicePresidential Security ServicePresidential Security Service , or PSS for short, is a South Korean close protection agency. Based on the United States Secret Service, the South Korean PSS is an independent agency responsible for the protection of the President of South Korea and the Blue House.The unit is currently being...
- National Intelligence ServiceNational Intelligence Service (South Korea)The National Intelligence Service is the chief intelligence agency of South Korea. The agency was officially established in 1961 as the Korea Central Intelligence Agency , during the rule of President Park Chung-hee's military Supreme Council for National Reconstruction, which displaced the...
- Ministry of National Defense
- National Emergency Management Agency
In preparation, anti-terrorism drills were held by members of the South Korean police, military, special forces and private sector as part of the 2010 Ulchi-Freedom Guardian
Ulchi-Freedom Guardian
Ulchi-Freedom Guardian is the new name of the military exercise previously known as Ulchi-Focus Lens, a combined military exercise between South Korea and the United States. The exercise is the world's largest computerized command and control implementation which mainly focuses on defending South...
exercises against simulated hostage situations and chemical, biological and radiological attacks as a preparation for the summit.
Plans for accommodating peaceful protesters were paired with plans for mitigating disruptive demonstrations.
The G-20 raised security concerns unrelated to demonstrators protesting the presence of the leaders of 20 economies in Seoul. For example, some analysts projected that anything perceived as a success for South Korea would be simultaneously construed in Pyongyang
Pyongyang
Pyongyang is the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea, and the largest city in the country. Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River and, according to preliminary results from the 2008 population census, has a population of 3,255,388. The city was...
as a threat to North Korea.
Criticism, Protests, and Controversies
The G-20 has long been a target of protests and counter-summits by the global justice movementGlobal Justice Movement
The Global Justice Movement is a network or constellation of globalized social movements opposing what is often known as the “corporate globalization” and promoting equal distribution of economic resources.-Movement of movements:...
, environmentalists, anti-capitalists, and other progressive transnational activist networks. For example, G-20 meetings in Toronto
2010 G-20 Toronto summit protests
The 2010 G-20 Toronto summit protests began one week ahead of the summit of the leaders of the G-20 on June 26 and 27 in Toronto. Protests included demonstrations, rallies, marches, as well as a destructive riot that broke out on June 26 which caused vandalism to several businesses in Downtown...
, London
2009 G-20 London summit protests
The 2009 G-20 London summit protests occurred in the days around the G-20 summit on 2 April 2009, which was the focus of protests from a number of groups over various long-standing and topical issues...
, and Pittsburgh all experienced mass protests and countersummit activities, and the Seoul summit was no exception. Activists criticized the G20 for undermining workers' rights, pressuring governments to cut social programs, and contributing to environmentally destructive policies.
The Sunday before the summit, an estimated 20-40,000 protesters marched peacefully in opposition to the G20 summit and to the US-Korea Free Trade Agreement. The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions
Korean Confederation of Trade Unions
The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions is a national trade union centre officially established in 1995. Its predecessor was the National Council of Trade Unions , established in 1990 as an independent alternative to the Federation of Korean Trade Unions. With 682,418 members in 2007, the KCTU...
(KCTU), together with other labor unions, NGOs, and activists, organized a 'People's Week of Collective Action,' as well as a 'People's Summit' where thousands gathered to discuss alternative proposals on jobs, labour rights, financial regulation, climate change, Free Trade Agreements, food sovereignty
Food sovereignty
"Food sovereignty" is a term coined by members of Via Campesina in 1996 to refer to a policy framework advocated by a number of farmers, peasants, pastoralists, fisherfolk, indigenous peoples, women, rural youth and environmental organizations, namely the claimed "right" of peoples to define their...
, poverty, migration, Intellectual Property Rights, and more. On the opening day of the summit, a protest of thousands was marred by police violence. The protests and countersummit were documented extensively by independent media such as Korea Indymedia, demotix, and Jinbonet.
In addition,
- There was an incident where a university instructor vandalized a G-20 promotional poster by drawing a rat. The letter G in English sounds much like the Korean word "쥐," which means "mouse" or "rat."
- A student forum event at Sogang UniversitySogang UniversitySogang University is one of the leading research and liberal arts universities in Seoul, South Korea.The University was established in 1960 by the Society of Jesus to provide education based on the Catholic beliefs and inspired by the Jesuit educational philosophy, such as Georgetown University in...
was canceled due to the criticism against the summit. - Supreme Prosecutor's Office of Korea's and the Government's investigations against politicians were temporarily halted due to G-20 summit preparation.
- Despite being located across from COEX, BongeunsaBongeunsaBongeunsa is a Buddhist temple in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea. It was founded in 794 during the reign of King Wonseong by the monk Yeon-hoe, then the highest ranking monk of Silla, and originally named Kyongseoungsa. It is located on the slope of Sudo Mountain in Samseong-dong, across the street...
was not printed on the official map of the Summit due to the disputes with the Jogye Buddhist order and Lee Myung-bak's alleged hostility toward Buddhism. - Samseong StationSamseong StationSamseong Station is a station on the Seoul Subway Line 2. It serves the eastern area of Teheranno. Some of the more famous buildings near the station include World Trade Center Seoul, COEX Mall, Korea Electric Power headquarters, Korea Air City Terminal , and Gangnam main police and fire...
, the metro very close to COEX was heavily guarded by police forces on November 11; complaints were filed that they interrogated anybody who looked like university students. - Many left-wing progressive interest groups in South Korea protested against the summit.
- There were incidents of phone calls threatening to obstruct the summit.
Outcome
Despite public endorsements by attending leaders, most commentators looking back on the summit have argued that only limited progress was made, especially on the headline issue of currency war and addressing trade imbalances.Leaders were generally unable to agree on key issues, with commentators such as economist Eswar Prasad
Eswar Prasad
Eswar Prasad holds the New Century Chair in International Economics. He is the Tolani Senior Professor of Trade Policy at Cornell University and a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution....
noting the absence of the sense of unity that had been present at summits during the worse of the global financial crisis of 2007 -2009. IMF managing director Dominique Strauss-Kahn
Dominique Strauss-Kahn
Dominique Gaston André Strauss-Kahn , often referred to in the media, and by himself, as DSK, is a French economist, lawyer, politician, and member of the French Socialist Party...
said this particular summit was "more of a G20 debate than a G20 conclusion".
Relating to the need to rebalance the world economy, agreement had been reached to work on indicative guidelines which will set suggested maximum limits for current account
Current account
In economics, the current account is one of the two primary components of the balance of payments, the other being the capital account. The current account is the sum of the balance of trade , net factor income and net transfer payments .The current account balance is one of two major...
surpluses and deficits, though these are not due to be fleshed out until 2011.
G20 leaders also agreed to endorse the Seoul Development Consensus
Seoul Development Consensus
The Seoul Development Consensus for Shared Growth is a set of principles and guidelines set up to assist the G20 nations and other global actors in working collaboratively with less developed countries in order to boost their economic growth and to achieve the UN's Millennium Development Goals...
, a set of guidelines and principles for working together with less development nations to improve economic growth and reduce poverty. In contrast to the older Washington Consensus
Washington Consensus
The term Washington Consensus was coined in 1989 by the economist John Williamson to describe a set of ten relatively specific economic policy prescriptions that he considered constituted the "standard" reform package promoted for crisis-wracked developing countries...
which it supersedes, the Seoul Consensus is less free market orientated, allowing a bigger role for state intervention.
External links
- G20 Information Centre
- Graphic: G20 is not simply the 20 largest economies
- Official website
- 2010 Seoul G20 Tour
- Report by the Club of Madrid focussing on the G20s role in the post-crises world
- Supplementary annex doc G20 issued for the Seoul Development Consensus
- Lead-up to the G20: Korea as Convener and Innovation Economy-Podcast
