BUSAN, South Korea, Nov. 13 (Xinhuanet) -- Who is the most welcomed chief executive officer in the eyes of the South Korean CEOs at the ongoing APEC Forum? A poll showed that Meg Whitman, CEO of online auction pioneer eBay Inc., is expected to draw the biggest attention during the APEC CEO Summit next week.

    The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum, opened on Saturday, will last till Nov. 19. More than 6,000 officials and businessmen from the 21 APEC members participate in the meetings.

    In the survey of 303 local executives by the Samsung Economic Research Institute (SERI) which was released on Sunday, 37.6 percent picked Whitman as the first person they want to meet amongthe global CEOs.

    Another 17.5 percent expressed wishes to meet William R. Rhodes,the top executive of US-based financial giant Citigroup, accordingto South Korea's major new agency Yonghap.

    Robert Mundell, the 1999 Nobel Prize laureate in economics and professor of Columbia University, was ranked third with a rating of 14.9 percent, while Paul Jacobs, chairman of US-based wireless technology developer Qualcomm Inc., ranked next with 13.5 percent.

    About 760 heads and officials of the world's leading business companies will take part in a two-day meeting here, known as the CEO Summit, on Thursday, a day before the start of the APEC economic leaders' meeting.

    A number of business leaders from China, one of the world's fastest-growing economies, are also due here this week.

    South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun is to address the APEC business leaders at a special session on Friday. Enditem