President Park Geun-hye waves her arm to bid farewell to the well wishers as she boards the Presidential plane to fly to Turkey where the G20 forum is to take place. Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn and all cabinet ministers of the government were out at the Seongnam Airport to send her off on a 10-day tour to attend a number of important international meetings.

President Park Geun-hye returned home on Nov.23 from her extended 10-day overseas tour which included stops in Turkey, the Philippines and Malaysia from Nov. 14 to 23 to attend four multilateral summit meetings: the G20 forum, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, the ASEAN+3 forum and the East Asia Summit (EAS). 

As the first leg of her trip, President Park  participated in the G20 leaders’ meeting  from Nov. 15 and 16 in Turkey. In the two-day meeting, she  discussed measures to boost policy cooperation among G20 countries. 

The G20 member countries’ discussion  focused on the so-called “3 Is” — implementation, investment and inclusiveness — in order to solve problems related to low growth and high unemployment, and to boost growth potential. . 

Top leaders at the APEC forum held in Manila,the Philippines Nov. 18-19 pose for a photo session during the summit meeting. President Park Geun-hye stands 4th from left in the second row.

During her speech in the first session of the G-20 summit, President Park emphasized that, “A structural shake-up is vital for inclusive and robust growth.” She then explained the tangible results of reforms that Seoul has pursued in four key areas: the public sector, finance, education and the labor market. 

“When such reforms are so important, it is like cultivating an arid field to make it fertile. It is no less important than what seeds we are going to plant in the land. Korea has worked to seek out new impetuses for economic growth by investing in the so-called `creative industries.` We have created new jobs and supported startup businesses through the newly-opened Centers for a Creative Economy and Innovation set up across the nation.”

The president also called on the international community to come closer together and to invest more in infrastructure across Northeast Asia and also in North Korea, saying that, “If North Korea gives up its nuclear weapons ambitions and chooses a path toward openness and cooperation, we will work together with the global community to support infrastructure investment across Northeast Asia, an amount expected to be worth about $6.3 billion annually.”

Finally, she proposed that to achieve this goal, “This would be a good way to set up a differentiated Northeast Asian development bank across the region that would cooperate with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).

President Park  then visited Manila to attend the APEC summit that  took place from Nov. 18 and 19. The theme this year was “Building Inclusive Economies, Building a Better World.” 

While in Manila, President Park  attended a dialogue with the APEC Business Advisory Council, and on Nov. 18  had an unofficial meeting with the Pacific Alliance that Peru, Chile, Mexico and Colombia recently joined. The next day, she  attended both morning and afternoon sessions of the APEC Leaders Meeting where attendants  shared their views on inclusive growth, the integration of regional economies and the building of sustainable, resilient communities. 

A view of a session in the G20 forum held in Turkey Nov. 15-16 which President Park Geun-hye attended along with other top leaders of the member nations including U.S. President Barrack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

President Park Geun-hye shakes hands with U.S. President Barrack Obama during a G20 forum meeting Nov. 15-16. Seen in the back are U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and President Jim Yong Kim of the World Bank.

Finally, President Park  attended the ASEAN+3, EAS and Korea-ASEAN meetings while in Kuala Lumpur on Nov. 21 and 22. On Nov. 22, she  attended the EAS forum to discuss issues involving the Korean Peninsula and other regional issues. At the Korea-ASEAN summit, she  proposed a future vision for the ASEAN Community that will be launched at the end of this year, as well as measures to strengthen cooperation between Korea and ASEAN. 

During the 2015 G20 Antalya Summit, President Park  and British Prime Minister David Cameron held bilateral talks on Nov. 15.

During the meeting, President Park expressed her deep sympathy and condolences for the British victims of the recent attacks in Paris. Adding that Korea would actively join the fight against terrorism, she urged bolstered cooperation in areas such as crisis response and the protection of foreign nationals during times of crisis.

Starting with the president’s visit to the U.K. in November 2013, the two leaders have now continued their discussions on deepening bilateral relations and expanding global cooperation.

President Park Geun-hye chats with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a session of the G20 forum held in Turkey Nov. 15-16.(Photos on the courtesy of Cheong Wa Dae)