Global Metropolitan Forum of Seoul 2010: Designing Seoul for the Next Ten Years

Over 500 scholars, policy makers and diplomats will attend the forum to discuss designing Seoul's future

SEOUL, South Korea, March 8, 2010 - The Global Metropolitan Forum of Seoul 2010 will begin on March 10 at
Nuritkum Square located in the Digital Media City in Sangsam-dong. Some 500
world-renowned scholars, futurists, and foreign diplomats will attend this
event.

The forum, with the theme of "The Future of the Global Metropolis: From
Limitless Competition to Boundless Cooperation," aims to strengthen
metropolises' competitiveness, and their role in the global community will be
discussed.

The one-day forum, which marks its fourth year this March, will stress
the importance of social integration and the nurturing of cutting-edge
industries as a future growth engine for Seoul. It will also redefine the
relationships between Seoul and its neighbouring metropolises as cooperative
partners as well as rivals.

Rolf Jensen, author of the bestseller "Dream Society," will deliver an
opening speech entitled the "Advancement of Global Metropolises and
Storytelling."

Professor Richard Florida of the University of Toronto, an expert in
urban development strategies, will also deliver a keynote speech titled "The
Importance of an Attractive Place in the Global Economy."

Participants in the morning session will discuss growth and social
integration as the driving forces for the sustainable development of global
metropolises. In the afternoon, they will discuss the roles and
responsibilities of each key player responsible for the creation of a global
metropolis.

Seoul hosted the first Global Metropolitan Forum in 2007 with the aim of
finding ways to sharpen the city's competitive edge and increase citizen
happiness.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said, "As the boundaries between nations become
blurred and the competition among cities ever fiercer with rapid
globalization, cities face a growing catalogue of challenges, such as
environmental pollution, financial crises and social integration." He added
that the forum will serve as an area for in-depth discussions on the
paradigms for sustainable urban development and the growth engine of the
future for global metropolises.

    Contact:

     Katherine Yoon
     katherine@seoul.go.kr
     Tel: +82-2-3707-9946
     Mobile: +82-10-9211-3051

     Secretariat of the Global Metropolitan Forum of Seoul 2010
     secretariat@globalseoul.org
     Tel: +82-2-3461-1318

     Press Relations
     press@seoul.go.kr
     Tel: +82-2-3707-8768 / 6321-4055 (for inquiries & interview arrangement)
     Website: www.globalseoul.org

Katherine Yoon, katherine at seoul.go.kr, +82-2-3707-9946, Mobile, +82-10-9211-3051; Secretariat of the Global Metropolitan Forum of Seoul 2010, secretariat at globalseoul.org, +82-2-3461-1318; Seoul Metropolitan Government, +82-2-3707-8768 or 6321-4055, press at seoul.go.kr