Korea Stepping Up Efforts to Upgrade Image
By Na Jeong-ju
Staff Reporter
The Lee Myung-bak administration will introduce a further set of measures to enhance the country's overseas reputation ahead of the G-20 Seoul Summit in November, in addition to its plans to increase development assistance to poor nations, the Office of the Prime Minister said Tuesday.
Prime Minister Chung Un-chan held a meeting with advisors from the private sector in the morning to develop such policies.
"The G-20 Summit will provide a crucial turning point for the country to join the ranks of advanced nations," Chung said during the meeting. "It is not just a government event, but should be a national celebration. That's why close coordination with the private sector is important."
Chung said countries involved have agreed to make the summit the premier global forum for economic coordination, but its global influence is not as strong as the G-7 meeting yet.
South Korea will strengthen relations not only with advanced countries but also developing nations to consolidate the G-20's status through the Seoul summit, he said.
The country plans to triple its economic aid to poor countries around the world to 0.25 percent of gross national income (GNI) by 2015 to help achieve a more balanced global economic growth. In that year, the development assistance is expected to top $4 billion.
Korea became a member of the OECD Development Assistance Committee, considered a league of the world's wealthiest countries, last year, as its second Asian country after Japan.
The membership is expected to help it deepen economic partnerships with underdeveloped countries, which will emerge as Korea's major trade partners in the long term.
The country has also doubled its number of volunteers to 3,000 to strengthen its goodwill activities in underdeveloped countries in an effort to become a more responsible member of the international community.