Top biz leaders to attend Davos forum

The 2001 general meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF), held this year under the theme of sustainable growth and the removal of the developmental gap in the global era, will be held Jan. 25-30 in the resort town of Davos, Sweden.

WEF is a meeting of leaders of the world¡¯s political, industrial and cultural circles, who gather to discuss global issues.

Participants in this year`s meeting will discuss the issue of alleviating inequality among nations and social classes in fields such as economy, knowledge, health and access to information and communications technology. Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) had criticized the WEF for its lack of openness and neo-liberal tendencies.

Attendees also will hold talks on the impact of globalization in each region and ways to sustain global economic growth amid the U.S. economic slowdown and the deepening Japanese economic slump.

About 3,000 people will attend the meeting, including the heads of state of some 30 countries. Nations planning to dispatch delegates include Austria, Poland, Hungary, Yugoslavia, South Africa, Switzerland and Mexico. Also attending will be government officials from other major economies, heads of large conglomerates, and representatives of international organizations such as the World Trade Organization, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the International Monetary Fund and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, as well as representatives of the media and academic circles.

Finance and Economy Minister Jin Nyum will attend as a government delegate and deliver a keynote speech on the Korean Peninsula¡¯s political and economic prospects. On Jan. 26, he will hold an explanatory session on the Korean economy. Jin will also serve as a panelist in a Jan. 26 meeting on economic policies in the global era, and a Jan. 27 meeting on the impact of globalization on Asian economies and companies.

Participants from Korean industrial circles will include Choi Tae-Won, chairman of SK Group; Cho Suk-Rai, chairman of Hyosung Group; Cho Dong-Hyuk, vice chairman of Hansol Group; Lee Yong-Teh, chairman of Trigem Computer; Park Hee-Joon, president of Samsung Electronics; Chang Heung-Soon, president of Turbo Tech; Lee Jae-Woong, president of Daum Communication; and Juhn Ha-Jin, president of Haan Soft.