The 2021 P4G Seoul Summit slated for May 30-31 will feature a "hybrid" format of online and offline events using state-of-the-art technology. (2021 P4G Seoul Summit Preparatory Office)

By Lee Jihae

The P4G Seoul Summit slated for May 30-31 will use a "hybrid" format featuring both online and offline events using state-of-the-art technology.

The 2021 P4G Seoul Summit Preparatory Office on April 30 said the Leaders' Session will be held via videoconferencing in light of the pandemic, while the speakers and panels will mostly attend the main and special sessions in person.

The office said it plans to show a new model for international events that combines both in-person and online platforms.

It will use Korea's leading information and communications technology and apply a videoconferencing system that heightens a sense of immersion among summit participants.

In November last year, the government displayed the nation's cutting-edge technology, such as studio conference rooms that use the latest rollable TVs, at five noncontact summits with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and those of the Group of 20 economies and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.

Ambassador for Climate Change Yoo Yeon-chul, who is also executive director of the preparatory office, said, "The hybrid conference pursued by the P4G Seoul Summit is a meeting approach that corresponds to the new normal of the pandemic era and substantially contributes to carbon neutrality."

“We will do our best to prepare for the summit so that Korea's noncontact conferencing standard is another way of elevating national status."

The P4G (Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030) is a multilateral network that aims to expedite green growth and Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 through the expansion of public-private cooperation worldwide. Its 12 member states include Korea and Denmark and the summit is held every two years.

jihlee08@korea.kr