Mr Chin will kick off a session on "The Next Generation of Media" at the 58th World Newspaper Congress, the annual meeting of the world’s press organised by the World Association of Newspapers, to be held in Seoul from 29 May to 1 June.

At the Congress, which is expected to draw more than 1,000 publishers, CEOs, managing directors and other senior newspaper executives, Mr Chin will talk about his country’s visions for a digital information society, examining Korea’s tremendous advances in technology and how they can be applied.

"Koreans are stronger in applying current technologies than in developing original technologies," Mr Chin has said. "Nevertheless, we must focus more on developing original technologies. We have to create an environment where our engineers can learn about the newest technologies from the world’s leading companies."

With the internet now maturing and a range of new wireless and portable forms of media evolving, the Congress session on the next generation of media will eamine the successful use of these media by newspaper companies and outline the new media business models that could spell success for the press.

Mr Chin will be joined in the session by Fred Hilmer, Chief Executive Officer of John Fairfax Holdings in Australia, Shinichi Hakoshima, President of Japan’s Asahi Shimbun, and Sandy Romualdez, President of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

The full Congress programme, along with a list of participants, registration details and other information, can be found at www.wan-press.org/seoul2005.

Other Congress sessions include:

  An examination of changing advertising market conditions and how newspapers should respond by Kevin Roberts, Chief Executive of Saatchi and Saatchi. Ryuichi Mori, Managing Director and Board Member of Dentsu and Tim Ellis, Global Director of Advertising and Media for Volvo.

  A look at new launches, new formats and new approaches to product, pricing and distribution by Bengt Braun, President & CEO of Sweden’s Bonnier, Michael Grabner, Deputy Chairman of Verlagsgruppe Georg von Holtzbrinck in Germany, and Théo Bouchat, Publications Director of Edipresse in Switzerland.

  A discussion of what kind of newspapers readers will require in the years ahead by leading global publishers, including Arthur O. Sulzberger, Chairman of The New York Times Company, Ryoki Sugita, President and CEO of Japan’s Nihon Keizai Shimbun, and Trevor Ncube, CEO of the Mail and Guardian in South Africa.

  An presentation of innovative techniques for increasing readership from Per Mikael Jensen, Vice-President and International Editor-in-Chief of Metro International, Alejandro Junco de la Vega, President & CEO of Mexico’s Reforma Group, and Michael Golden, Publisher of the International Herald Tribune.

  The annual update on world trends in the newspaper industry, by Timothy Balding, Director General of WAN.

  The 2005 Global Report on Innovations in Newspapers, by the Innovation International Media Consulting Group, presented by Juan Señor, Claude Erbsen, and Juan Antonio Giner.

  And much more.

The 58th World Newspaper Congress runs concurrently with the 12th World Editors Forum and Info Services Expo 2005. For the full schedule and other information, consult www.wan-press.org/seoul2005.

The Paris-based WAN, the global organisation for the newspaper industry, represents 18,000 newspapers; its membership includes 72 national newspaper associations, individual newspaper executives in 102 countries, 10 news agencies and ten regional and world-wide press groups.

Inquiries to: Larry Kilman, Director of Communications, WAN, 7 rue Geoffroy St Hilaire, 75005 Paris France. Tel: +33 1 47 42 85 00. Fax: +33 1 47 42 49 48. Mobile: +33 6 10 28 97 36. E-mail: lkilman@wan.asso.fr.