Some ASEM leaders will fly to Seoul together

Leaders of countries to participate in the upcoming Asia-Europe Meeting conference, set to open Oct. 20, will arrive in Seoul via chartered planes or commercial airlines, commensurate with their national power or their tastes.

Expected to attend the Seoul ASEM conference will be the leaders of 25 nations and the secretary-general of the European Union for a total of 26. Of them, about 10 leaders, including French President Jacques Chirac, Chinese Prime Minister Zhu Rongji, Brunei King Haji Hassanal and German Prime Minister Gerhard Schroeder, will fly into Seoul via their chartered planes.

Some leaders will be accompanied entourages numbering in the hundreds. In the case of Japan, a large-scale transportation operation for carrying hundreds and security guards will be conducted involving two Boeing 747 aircraft with capacity of 400 each. From France, two large-scale airplanes, an A330 with capacity of 300 and an A310 with 200 will be mobilized.

The leaders who will use civil airlines include 11 leaders from Europe, including British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and four Asian leaders, including Thai Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai. They apparently utilize the commercial aircraft in order to reduce expenses.

Among them, leaders from Britain, Greece, Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden will use Lufthansa, and those from Luxembourg, Austria and the European Commission will use Korean Air. Accordingly, attention is paid if they hold mini-summits aboard the planes.

Song Jin-Hup jinhup@donga.com