Over 500 scholars, policy makers and diplomats will attend the forum to discuss designing Seoul's future
SEOUL, South Korea, March 8 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- 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.
Press Relations
Seoul Metropolitan Government
Tel: +82-2-3707-8768
Email: press@seoul.go.kr
