President Lee Myung-bak on Thursday hosted a dinner for the participants in the two-day G20 Seoul Speakers Consultation at the presidential office.

About 110 people invited to the event at Cheong Wa Dae included parliamentary speakers and delegates from the G20 states, National Assembly Speaker Park Hee-tae, vice speakers Chung Eui-hwa, Hong Jae-hyung, Grand National Party floor leader Hwang Woo-yea and Democratic Party leader Sohn Hak-kyu and their spouses.

“At the Seoul G20 Summit last year, we adopted the Seoul Action Plan to present the policy directions for the world economy and pledged to closely coordinate policies,” Lee said.

“While continuing aid for developing countries, we must help them build on growth potential and the power to stand up on their own.”

The G20 Speakers’ Consultation was launched in Toronto last year for parliaments of the Group of 20 nations to seek solutions to global issues such as the world economy, the environment and security.

At this year’s meeting, held under the main theme “Development and Growth for Common Prosperity,” participants are to discuss the nuclear disaster in Japan, the death of Osama bin Laden and the surging antigovernment protests in the Middle East, in addition to what was discussed at the G20 Seoul Summit last November.

The presidential dinner on Thursday allowed Lee and Sohn to meet for the first time since the national breakfast prayer meeting in March. Sohn agreed to attend the dinner as the G20 meeting was an international event with no relation to domestic politics.

By Kim So-hyun (sophie@heraldcorp.com)