WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- Jim Yong Kim, a Korean-born physician, began his five-year term as the president of the World Bank on Sunday, officials at the 188-member organization tasked with fighting global poverty said.

"I am so excited about my new role," Kim said on the bank's Web site. "It's more important than ever that we deliver results on the ground and amplify the voices of the poor. We need to draw on the expertise of the people."

He opened a site entitled "Ask Jim Kim" to receive questions from people around world and also said he is welcome to listen to ideas and opinions on ways to resolve the poverty issue.

A World Bank official also told Yonhap News Agency that Kim's tenure started Sunday and he will release a brief statement on Monday morning before going to the World Bank headquarters in Washington.
Kim is known for his lifetime efforts to address health problems in the developing world, especially treatment of HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis.

Appointing him as the nominee for the top World Bank post in March, President Barack Obama highlighted his health development background. The following month, the World Bank board of directors chose him as the 12th president of the bank over two foreign candidates.

Kim served as Dartmouth College's president for the past three years, the first Asian-American to assume the top job at an Ivy League institution.

Born in Seoul, in 1959, Kim moved to the U.S. with his family when he was 5 years old.

Kim openly said his knowledge on South Korea's industrialization and democratization will be of great help in managing the World Bank and its 9,000 staff.