Finance minister to head to Paris for G-20 meeting

South Korea's finance minister will leave for France this week to attend the Group of 20 (G-20) meeting there to discuss global cooperation to resolve the current fiscal debt problems and other pending issues, his ministry said Tuesday. Finance Minister Bahk Jae-wan will attend the G-20 meeting, which will kick off on Friday in Paris for a two-day run, the Ministry of Strategy and Finance said in a press release. During the gathering, he and others will mostly discuss the ongoing fiscal debt crisis stemming from Europe and exchange views on how to forge a joint front to deal with such global problems. Given that the meeting is the last one among finance ministers before the G-20 summit talks to be held in Cannes, France early next month, they are expected to make last-ditch efforts to iron out differences on key agenda items that each nation remain far apart on, it added. The meeting consists of six sessions that include talks on reform of the international monetary system, financial regulations and discussion on how to achieve strong, sustainable and balanced growth, the ministry said. At the end of the meeting, they will produce a statement that will summarize what they discussed and agreed on, while holding a briefing on the agenda to be pushed by next G-20 chair, Mexico. On the sidelines of the gathering, Bahk will also hold bilateral talks with his counterparts from other major economies, including Britain, Germany and Mexico, and discuss a wide range of issues, including the global fiscal debt crisis, the ministry said.