[Korea.net News, Economy / Industry, December 30 2008] City of Seoul to expand convention facilities: mayor

The mayor of Seoul said Sunday (Dec. 30) he plans to greatly enhance the capital city’s capacity to hold international conventions by setting up a "convention belt" in the southeastern part of the city.

"The city of Seoul will establish a convention belt connecting the Jamsil district, the Convention and Exhibition Center (COEX) and the Seoul Trade Exhibition Center (SETEC)," Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said in an interview with a domestic news agency.

"The existing facilities are already overwhelmed by the exhibits. Eighty-five percent of the COEX is always booked, which seems quite excessive from a global standard," he said. "We need to meet increasing demands for large-scale conventions in Seoul, which is mainly resulting from the economic development of China."