When Pacific Rim leaders meet on Friday and Saturday, they will pull on silk Korean overcoats for the annual group picture of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, eat kimchi, the pungent Korean staple, and maybe even sip on mushroom-flavored rice wine.
Here are a few tips on some of the more interesting happenings in Pusan, the venue of the summit:
Fashion show
APEC leaders will brace themselves against the autumn chill in Pusan by wrapping up in the silky sleeves of traditional Korean overcoats for their annual group picture, officials said.
A custom of the APEC leaders’ meetings is for all participants to don traditional costumes from the host country.
In Pusan, the leaders will wear traditional Korean long coats called “durumagi” — a V-necked silk garment that extends to about the knees and is fastened by a bow over the lapel.
The APEC durumagi overcoats come in pastel shades of gold, brown, silver, dark blue and light green for men, while the women leaders have a choice of pink or purple.
The durumagi will be decorated with ancient Korean symbols such as pine trees that signify unchanging faith and bamboo representing dignity and wisdom, the APEC 2005 Korea Office said in a press release.
The traditional coats will be double-layered to keep the leaders warm, have easy-access pockets and be cut in such a way that they can easily slip over a business suit, they said.
At last year’s APEC in Santiago, the leaders paraded around in brightly colored ponchos. In Shanghai in 2001, they wore silk jackets, They have also worn Canadian bomber jackets, Indonesian batik as well as Thai silk shirts and shawls.
Doing dynamic to death
If there is one adjective to describe APEC, Pusan, South Korean culture, food, beer and complex diplomatic relations, it would have to be “dynamic.”
“Dynamic Korea” is a slogan that has found its way onto posters, pamphlets and papers about the APEC meeting. It is used in promotional videos describing Korea and emblazoned on the gift of mobile phone straps given by the government to diplomats and visitors.
The host city has has also picked up on the slogan by releasing a mass of material heralding the wonders of “Dynamic Pusan.”
A South Korean Foreign Ministry official on Wednesday described a meeting between South Korea’s foreign minister and the U.S. Secretary of State as “dynamic.”
South Korea’s Culture Ministry has opened a “Dynamic Korea Zone” with information on South Korean popular entertainment and traditional culture inside the hall where most of the APEC meetings are being held.
At bars, South Korean businessmen who have spent the night sampling the local spirits have been known to greet foreign visitors by saying “Welcome to dynamic Pusan.”
Kimchi health concerns
The skies of Pusan lit up on Wednesday with a massive fireworks display while the streets echoed with the sound of 80,000 firecrackers being set off over a suspension bridge that is one of the symbols of the city.
The fireworks lit the Pusan skies for about 50 minutes and came with a laser show.
The official menu for the leaders’ banquet has yet to be released, but it will include the spicy Korean staple kimchi, APEC officials said.
The pungent dish of kimchi, served at most meals across the Korean peninsula, is typically made with white cabbage that has been packed with garlic, ginger, fish sauce, red peppers and other ingredients.
There have been health concerns over kimchi after parasites’ eggs were found in imports of the peppered vegetables from China and the kimchi produced by a tiny percentage of makers in South Korea.
APEC officials said the kimchi at the banquet will be the finest in the peninsula and the safest to eat.
The Korea Herald reported on Wednesday that a mushroom-flavored rice wine has been served at other official APEC functions and could be available for the leaders’ banquet.
