Cablegate: Seoul - Media Reaction

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UNCLAS SEOUL 001555

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR ECON KPAO KMDR KS US
SUBJECT: SEOUL - MEDIA REACTION

Subject: Media Reaction; Seoul

G20 PITTSBURGH SUMMIT
----------------------

G-20 Summit Should Become the Cornerstone of World Economic Growth

Right-of-center JoongAng Ilbo editorialized (09/28): "Last year's
financial crisis clearly demonstrated that the G-8 countries alone,
without the emerging economies, cannot deal with global economic
crises properly. ... Now it has become an established fact that
the 'central axis' of the world economy has shifted from the G-8 to
the G-20. ... However, the prospects of the G-20 system are still
unclear. It is doubtful whether various countries can communicate
without difficulty since there are big differences of opinion
between developed countries and emerging economies on every issue.
... In this sense, the G-20 Summit, which will take place in the
ROK next November, is highly likely to become a watershed in
determining the stable development of the G-20 system."

"G-20 as Democratic Global Economic Coordinator"

Left-leaning Hankyoreh Shinmun editorialized (09/28): "The problem
is, however, that many of the agreements made in the past few days
lack not only substance but also binding force. This is the case
with the reorganization of country representation at the IMF and
World Bank, which is directly related to the democratization of the
global economic order. China and other countries had pressed to
resolve the issue during this summit, but the summit declaration
ended only with support for, but no affirmative action towards, a
shift in quota share for the IMF and World Bank in which 5% and 3%,
respectively of the shares from over-represented countries would go
to under-represented countries. ... The G-20 countries must refuse
to be satisfied with agreements made just for agreement's sake if
they want to become the world's top economic community. The G-20
must not shy away from issues that were at the root of the world
economic crisis, and instead demonstrate the courage to resolve
them."

STEPHENS

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