By Cho Jin-seo
Staff reporter
After talking about how Korea and African countries can complement each other in economic development, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nigerian managing director of World Bank, was happy to have a chance to talk about a more exciting topic ― the football.
"Of course, you know I'm rooting for Nigeria to win," she told The Korea Times with a big laugh.
Her country will meet South Korea in their crucial World Cup first-stage match in South Africa, on June 22.
As a seasoned diplomat, she tried to be polite to her hosts but couldn't hide her pride with the Super Eagles. "I'm also cognizant of South Korea what is doing for other developing countries. So now I'm in a middle tone.
"But at the end of the day, I root for my country."
Meanwhile, Trevor Manuel, South African minister in the Presidency, bashed the vilified investment bank Goldman Sachs and its ability to predict the future, in the process of praising the Korean football team.
"I had read a report from Goldman Sachs on the 2010 World Cup, which rated South Korea pretty low in the probability to win the cup," he said. "But after watching South Korea playing against Spain last night, which was almost a draw, I now believe that Goldman should have been more respectful to Korea."
The Goldman Sachs report on World Cup said that South Korea has a 0.76 percent chance to win the Cup. South Africa's odds were 0.68 percent.
Early Friday morning, South Korea lost 1-0 to Spain, a tournament favorite, in a match that ended at 3 a.m. Korean time. If Manuel really watched the game live and appeared at the morning conference with such a good humor, then he himself could be a symbol of tireless South African spirit, which may raise the country's odds as well.
Considering that Tokyo is only one and a half hours away from Busan, it may sound strange that one notable absentee at the G-20 Busan meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors was Naoto Kan, the Japanese representative.
Nobody, however, could complain. Kan was named as the new prime minister of Japan on Friday, following the sudden exit of his predecessor Yukio Hatoyama on Wednesday.
Kan now faces daunting tasks of leading the Japan Inc. through a massive public debt and sluggish growth. He is the country's sixth prime minister in four years.
Tokyo did not send Kan's replacement to Busan, instead let his deputy minister stand for him in the ministerial meeting on Friday.
Sakong Il, the chief of the G-20 summit committee, opened the two-day event in Busan by giving a keynote speech at the Korea-World Bank High Level Conference on Friday morning. However, he and his two guests appeared about 20 minutes late at the press conference scheduled at 10 a.m.
Sakong then made another sizeable speech to the press, leaving the other interviewees ― World Bank managing director Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and South African minister Trevor Manuel ― sitting idle on either side of him for some time. "I'd better stop here and let the other guests talk," he said.
But after the three fielded a few questions from reporters, Sakong abruptly stood up and left the podium at 11.50 a.m., while Okonjo-Iweala was still talking to the press. The two went on for 20 more minutes without Sakong.
'It takes two to Samba'
Korean finance ministry found a perfect partner to bolster its economic and athletic development on Thursday as the nation is gearing up for the upcoming World Cup ― Brazil.
With the unusually non-bureaucratic headline "It takes two to Samba," the press release said the two countries' financial ministers met on Thursday and decided on several issues. Most notably, they decided to co-operate on the successful hosting of the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil, using Korea's experience in establishing transportation, communication and financial infrastructure in hosting the 1988 Olympic Games and 2002 World Cup.
They also agreed to join force in the reform of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), a global financial emergency fund. Korea and Brazil only hold 1.345 percent and 1.395 percent respectively, of voting right within the IMF.