열린장관실

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, 

Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to join me today; it is my honor and pleasure to have you here. This luncheon is to thank you for your invaluable support in preparing for the upcoming Nuclear Security Summit. I hope it can provide you with the energy and refreshment you need over these last few days laden with pressure and demands. 

We are now ten days away from the Seoul Summit. At this point, we are putting the final touches to the preparations for the Summit to ensure that everything goes smoothly. Over the past several months, we have had a whole series of advance visits and bilateral discussions on security and protocol issues. My Government will continue to do our best to accommodate your needs before, during and after the Summit, fully drawing upon our experience of hosting the G20 Summit. 

On the agenda, we are to hold the final Sherpa Meeting next Friday to fine-tune the details of the Summit, including the outcome document, the Seoul Communiqu?. I am glad to announce that after numerous consultations, we are very close to reaching a final agreement on the language. The Sherpas will also get a chance to look around the Summit venue, which is currently in the final stage of completion. There will be a chance to clarify any further questions that you may have with the Preparatory Secretariat concerning the operation of the Summit. 

With such a large group of leaders assembling in Seoul, the Seoul Summit will be an important occasion in diplomatic terms. Throughout the Summit period, President Lee Myung-bak and Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik will be meeting with as many leaders as possible on official bilateral visits as well as meetings on the margin of the Summit. On the occasion, leaders will be able to discuss not only nuclear security, but also key bilateral issues. I sincerely hope that we can make use of the opportunity that the Seoul Summit offers to further deepen our bilateral relations respectively. 

I have been told that among the 58 leaders who are coming to Seoul, more than 20 are visiting Korea for the first time. We will do all we can to work with the diplomatic missions in Korea to make their stay most comfortable so that they return home with fond memories of Korea. Should you have any further requests concerning your Leader’s visit, please do not hesitate to contact the Preparatory Secretariat through your delegation liaison officers. 

I once again promise our Government’s full support to make not only the Nuclear Security Summit a huge success for all of us, but to make sure that bilateral meetings are conducted seamlessly to reap fruitful results conducive to our mutual relationships. 

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, 

I don’t want to hold you any longer from your lunch. But before I wrap up my remarks, I would like to emphasize one final point. The Seoul Nuclear Security Summit is not only a forum for discussing nuclear security, but a ‘Peace Summit’ that will contribute to making the world a safer place, for this generation and the next. 

I believe that if we all pool our knowledge and experience, we can genuinely make our efforts meaningful in the spirit of the slogan of the Seoul Summit, “Beyond Security Towards Peace.” I ask everyone for your continued support in this joint endeavor. With that, I would like to propose a toast to the success of the Seoul Summit and to your good health.