Clik here to view.
SEOUL, KOREA - Upon ringing in the New Year (the Year of the Blue Horse according to Chinese zodiac), South Korea found itself already bustling with a variety of domestic, international events.
Along with overseas sports festivals like the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia and the 2014 FIFA World Cup, a series of domestic events is in the pipeline. The 17th Asian Games in Incheon and the 12th Conference of the Parties to United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD) in Pyeongchang are scheduled for September 2014 while a great number of high-ranking officials from around the world will flock to Busan this October to attend the 2014 ITU Plenipotentiary Conference (or PP-14 Busan). South Korea’s 2014 calendar, heavily filled with numerous colored-coded international events like the PP-14 Busan, hints at an improvement in the nation’s international standing. The nation’s hosting such high-profile international events is anticipated to create a great opportunity for boosting national pride and unity. The following 2014 events are the ones that are expected to rev up diverse Korean contents’ entry into overseas markets and to move forward the S. Korean government’s creative economy agenda by creating jobs and building a virtuous cycle in the Korean economy.
■ The 17th Asian Games in Incheon chants its slogan “Diversity Shines Here!”
Incheon, a major transportation hub in northeast Asia, is in a festive mood in the lead-up to the 17th Asian Games Incheon 2014, scheduled for September 19 to October 4, 2014. During the 17th Asian Games (where a total of 36 sports (28 Olympic sports and eight non-Olympic sports) will be played), Incheon is forecast to accommodate approximately 13,000 athletes and officials and nearly 7,000 reporters from 45 nations. With the 17th Asian Games Incheon 2014 less than 280 days away, the entire city is busy limbering up for the event.
The 17th Asian Games Incheon 2014 is projected to bring tremendous economic benefits to the host city. A plethora of Chinese tourists is expected to visit Incheon thanks to the excellent accessibility of the city through the Incheon International Airport and Incheon Port. Thus, underscoring the importance of cultivated hospitality, public order and sanitation, Incheon has been intent on instilling a sense of citizenship in Incheon citizens, developing tourism infrastructure and attracting tourists.
Incheon’s efforts to offer tourists interesting, amusing experiences are also underway. Expectations run high for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 17th Asian Games Incheon 2014, preparations for which have been directed by famous Korean movie directors Kwon-taek Im and Jin Jang. A variety of cultural events is in the works as well, such as food festivals (which showcase famous chefs from China, Japan and countries as far away as Lebanon in the Middle East) and Hallyu (the Korea Wave) concerts featuring a slew of k-pop idol groups.
Eyes are on whether the 17th Asian Games Incheon 2014 will serve as a sports festival, which, in the midst of national attention, not only provides participating athletes with great opportunities to crown their many years of hard training but also allows all the participants to enjoy Asia’s diverse cultures and traditions through cultural, art and academic programs.
■ The 12th Conference of the Parties to United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD) to be held in Pyeongchang, Gangwon province
The 12th Conference of the Parties to United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD) is scheduled to be held from September 26 to October 17 in Pyeongchang, Gangwon province.
The Conference of the Parties to the UNCBD aims to conserve biodiversity and ensure fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from genetic resources. At the 11thConference of the Parties to the UNCBD, held in India in 2012, Pyeongchang was chosen as the next conference venue for its well-preserved natural environment and great capability for orchestrating international events.
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), an international legally binding treaty signed by 158 nations at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992, has three main goals: conservation of biodiversity; sustainable use of its components; and fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from genetic resources. Signatories to the CBD have made efforts to protect species threatened with extinction on a daily basis.
Various species do not happen to exist in our ecosystem. They exist in our ecosystem because they need one another. In other words, when each species exists where it should be, our ecosystem will keep its balance. However, in reality, more and more species are disappearing, consequently jeopardizing the entire ecosystem. What’s more, the extinction of a species has cascading effects on humans. Thus, when the earth maintains biodiversity, humans can continue to enjoy the invaluable benefits offered by Mother Nature.
The 12th Conference of the Parties to the UNCBD in Pyeongchang will be attended by approximately 20,000 environmental experts from 193 member states (including the EU), international organizations, NGOs, etc. In particular, The 12th Conference is projected to draw greater international attention since The Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization to the CBD comes into effect this year.
■ The 2014 ITU Plenipotentiary Conference (or the PP-14 Busan) is the top policy-making body of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
High-ranking officials from around the world will pay a visit to the southeastern coastal city of Busan this year in order to attend the 2014 ITU Plenipotentiary Conference (or the PP-14 Busan), slated for October 20 - November 7 at BEXCO Busan. The 2014 ITU Plenipotentiary Conference, the highest policy-making event of the ITU, will be attended by nearly 3,000 people, including government officials from 193 nations and representations from 840 private institutions.
The ITU Plenipotentiary Conference, albeit somewhat unfamiliar to the general public, is the highest policy-making conference of the ITU, where the worldwide ICT sector’ pending issues, including radio frequencies, communications and the Internet, are discussed. South Korea is making all-out efforts to make the PP-14 Busan the best-ever ITU plenipotentiary conference that measures up to the nation’s international standing as an ICT powerhouse.
Though the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference takes place every four years, the PP-14 Busan is a bit different from the previous ITU plenipotentiary conferences. Exhibitions showcasing the world’s new cutting-edge technologies, Hallyu events and Global ICT Conference (to be attended by global entrepreneurs, scholars and ICT experts) will be held on the sidelines of the PP-14 Busan so as to globally promote “smart Hallyu” and the nation’s ICT prowess. Furthermore, the PP-14 Busan is expected to serve as a festival for national unity and to effectively project South Korea as an ICT powerhouse.
The PP-14 Busan is also expected to make a significant impact on the domestic ICT industry. By taking the lead in drawing up global ICT policies related to new technologies, standardization and informatization, South Korea is likely to create favorable conditions for the domestic ICT industry’s overseas market entry and technological leadership. In addition, building ICT-heavy conference facilities and holding ICT industrial exhibitions will furnish Korean ICT companies with great PR opportunities. Besides, the PP-14 Busan will allow the nation to form friendly networks with developing nations and ICT-poor nations. And “smart Hallyu” – i.e. ICT’s convergence with Hallyu contents such as Korean movies, soap operas and music - will be given an impetus.
The nation’s hosting of such large-scale intentional events as the 17th Asian Games in Incheon and the 12th Conference of the Parties to the UNCBD and the 2014 ITU Plenipotentiary Conference shows that South Korea has come a long way to rub shoulders with previous host nations, mostly in the developed world. The 17th Asian Games Incheon 2014 will unite Asian nations with different histories, cultures, traditions and religions into one through sports and will contribute to the development of S. Korea’s sports sector. The 12th Conference of the Parties to the UNCBD in Pyeongchang will raise the world’s awareness of the significance of conserving biodiversity, brining worldwide attention to Pyeongchang’s leadership in protecting biodiversity. As such, those international events listed on the 2014 calendar will soup up economic growth and globally promote the nation’s strengths in cultures, sports and environmental protection.
Above all, the nation’s hosting of the 2014 ITU Plenipotentiary Conference is of great significance in that the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference has never been held in the Asia-Pacific region over the past two decades (the1994 ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in Japan was the last held in the Asia-Pacific region). Thus, the PP-14 Busan can be understood as the world’s recognition of S. Korea’s advances in ICT. The nation’s successful hosting of the 2014 ITU Plenipotentiary Conference will enable South Korea to extend its leadership in the ICT standardization sector and therefore to lead global ICT trends and policies. Bearing in mind the importance of pulling off the 2014 ITU Plenipotentiary Conference, the South Korean government has been keen on crafting ICT agenda items and mounting public PR campaigns, with a view to leveraging the 2014 ITU Plenipotentiary Conference as a historic event that could improve the nation’s economic, diplomatic fortunes. In 2014, how much difference those high-profile international events, including the 2014 ITU Plenipotentiary Conference, would make to the way the world perceives South Korea deserves watching.