S. Korea to emphasize green growth at travel conference

By Shin Hae-in
SEOUL, April 2 (Yonhap) -- More than 2,000 travel officials and experts from home
and abroad attended the 2009 Korean Travel Conference Thursday, which opened in
the country's southeastern Gyeongsang Province with an emphasis on green growth.
South Korea, the world's 13th-largest economy, has increased efforts to shift
towards low carbon, environmentally friendly growth, pledging to join the
world-wide effort on climate change.
Under the theme "Green Growth by Travel Industry," experts and officials
participating in the two-day conference will suggest and discuss various ways the
travel industry can bolster the development of sustainable growth engines and
clean energy, Seoul's culture ministry said in a press release.
A special session organized by the Untied Nations World Tourism Organization will
highlight examples of countries that have been successful in nurturing their
tourism sector while maintaining a green growth policy.
South Korea's Culture Minister Yu In-chon will also be meeting separately with
his counterparts from the African countries of Eritrea and the Republic of Mali,
who will be attending the conference.
The Korean Travel Conference, established in 1995, is held annually as one of the
world travel industry's largest gatherings. This year's conference will be held
at the CECO in Changwon, about 398 kilometers southeast of Seoul.
South Korea is seeking to introduce a carbon tax beginning in 2010 under
President Lee Myung-bak's green growth plan, allocating an estimated 11 trillion
won (about US$10 billion) annually for the green growth scheme.
South Korea may be required to join the worldwide greenhouse gas reduction plan
in 2013, when the Kyoto Protocol expires. Now the world's sixth largest
greenhouse gas producer, Seoul is exempt from the reduction schedule until 2012
as the country is currently categorized as a developing economy under the
protocol applied to 38 advanced countries.
hayney@yna.co.kr
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