Korean And Canadian Delegations Come to Pittsburgh to Learn Lessons of G-20 Summit Preparations

A seven-member delegation from Korea led by Ambassador Si-hyung Lee, head of protocol for the Korean Presidential Committee for the G-20 Seoul Summit, arrived in Pittsburgh Thursday for a whirlwind visit to learn the lessons of the Pittsburgh G-20 Summit.

The delegation was hosted by the Pittsburgh G-20 Partnership, of which GlobalPittsburgh is a contributing member, and welcomed by Dennis Yablonsky, CEO of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development.

The president of Korea dispatched the delegation because of "the great success" of the Pittsburgh Summit. During their visit the delegation toured the David L. Lawrence Convention Center and met with Mike Huss, the public safety director of the City of Pittsburgh. Shawn Fox represented the Allegheny County Executive at the luncheon, along with key staff from the Conference and VisitPittsburgh.

The ambassador said the group was especially impressed by the public-private partnership that supported the Pittsburgh Summit, our hospitality program, and also our websites, which he said had set a "high standard" for Korea.

"The visit was whirlwind - we learned about it only 72 hours ago, and they were just here for the day," the Conference's Bill Flanagan wrote in a message to G-20 Partnership followers. "I think it's fair to say that the Pittsburghers in the room were humbled by the compliment."

Yablonsky offered continuing support as planning for the Seoul Summit evolves, Flanagan said.

Coincidentally, a small delegation came from Toronto on Tuesday for a meeting with VisitPittsburgh. The Canadians are preparing for the next G-20 summit in June.

"In parallel, we were contacted by the agency that spearheads foreign direct investment for the city of Toronto, also seeking lessons learned," Flanagan wrote. "We anticipate fielding similar calls in the months to come. We hope that both Canada and Korea will enjoy productive and peaceful summits and we are happy to do whatever we can to help."