国际英语新闻：G20 leaders start summit in Seoul, focusing on int'l financial system, world's economy

With some 10,000 participants, especially more than 30 heads of states and heads of international organizations, security was obviously a main concern. Security was really tight around the G20 summit venue, called COEX in southern Seoul.

Nearby COEX, police presence was noticeable and police vehicles lined the streets leading to the venue.

Some 50,000 police officers have been deployed by South Korea to maintain security and peace during the G20 meetings.

Among the 50,000 officers, there were some 20,000 riot police. At the COEX center, policemen were patrolling either on foot, on bicycles or even segwasy.

Obviously, with huge resources poured into beefing up security, it didn't come cheap. Local media said money allocated to the security force, police and military was about 25 million U.S. dollars.

The G-20 Seoul Summit is the fifth meeting of the G-20 heads of government, to discuss the global financial system and the world economy, since they first met in November of 2008 to discuss joint responses to the crisis that was rocking the world economy at the time.

Between the Washington Summit and the Seoul Summit were the London Summit in April of 2009, Pittsburg Summit in September of 2009, and Toronto Summit in June of 2010.

The G20 was established in 1999 to bring together strategically important industrialized and developing economies to discuss key issues in the global economy.

It includes Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Britain, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United States, and the European Union (EU).

Together, the G20 members represent around 90 percent of global gross national product, 80 percent of world trade, including EU intra-trade, and two-thirds of the world's population.