Leaders to seek shared growth in Seoul

South Korea

■ President Lee Myung-bak (69)

■ Took office in February 2008

■ Lee was once dubbed a legend of office workers for his fast rise to the CEO position of Hyundai Engineering and Construction. He served as a lawmaker from 1992 and 1998 and as mayor of Seoul from 2002 and 2006. His hobbies include tennis and swimming.

European Union

■ EU President Herman Van Rompuy (63)

■ Took office in December 2009

■Van Rompuy was elected as the first full-time president of the European Council last year under the Lisbon Treaty. Born in Brussels in 1947, he majored in philosophy and economics at the Catholic University of Leuven. He was prime minister of Belgium in 2009.

Argentina

■ President Christina Fernandez de Kirchner (57)

■ Took office in December 2007

■ Kirchner took over the presidency from her husband, Nestor Kirchner, becoming the world’s first couple to have been separately elected as the head of state. She is also Argentina’s first elected female president.

Australia

■ Prime Minister Julia Gillard (48)

■ Took office in June 2010

■ Gillard is the first female party leader and prime minister of Australia. Born in Wales, she moved to Australia when she was four and worked as a lawyer before entering Parliament in 1998.

Brazil

■ President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (65)

■ Took office in January 2003

■ Lula, an elementary school dropout and former metal worker, succeeded in winning the presidency on his fourth try and was reelected for another four-year term in October 2006. His stated top priority is the eradication of starvation.

Canada

■ Prime Minister Stephen Harper (51)

■ Took office in February 2006

■ Harper entered politics in 1993 with his election to a seat in the House of Commons. In February, he won a case of beer from President Obama when Canada’s ice hockey team beat the U.S. team to win the gold medal in the Winter Olympics with a score of 3-2.

China

■ President Hu Jintao (68)

■ Took office in March 2003

■ Hu started his career as an engineer at a hydroelectric power plant. He is said to have a photographic memory and a keen eye for detail. In 2004, he was also sworn in as the commander-inchief of the Armed Forces.

France

■ President Nicolas Sarkozy (55)

■ Took office in May 2007

■ Sarkozy is the first president of the country born after World War II and the first among second-generation immigrants (from Hungary) to become the French President. He loves jogging and is an enthusiastic fan of rugby and soccer.

Germany

■ Chancellor Angela Merkel (56)

■ Took office in November 2005

■ Merkel’s family moved to East Germany right after she was born in Hamburg. She is the first female chancellor of the country and the youngest one in the post-war period. She won her second term in the 2009 general election.

India

■ Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (78)

■ Took office in May 2004

■ Singh’s family was so poor that he often used street lamps to study. He majored in economics at Cambridge University and obtaining a Ph.D. from Oxford University. He has been serving his second term since May 2009.

Indonesia

■ President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (61)

■ Took office in July 2004

■ Yudhoyono was elected in the country’s first direct presidential election and reelected in July 2009. Under his leadership, Indonesia recorded an economic growth of 4.5 percent last year despite the global financial crisis. Also a writer and composer, he released his third music album in January.

Italy

■ Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi (73)

■ Took office in May 2008

■ Berlusconi won a third term as prime minister in 2008. He owns Mediaset, the largest broadcasting company in the country; soccer team AC Milan; a bank; a film and home video distribution business; and the country’s largest publishing company.

Japan

■ Prime Minister Naoto Kan (64)

■ Kan, a former patent attorney, is known for his tenacity. He was admitted to the University of Tokyo the second time that he tried and managed to pass the patent attorney exam on his fourth try. Kan is a cat lover.

Mexico

■ President Felipe Calderon (48)

■ Took office in December 2006

■ Under the influence of his father who founded and led the National Action Party, Calderon developed an interest in politics early on, joining the party at 18. For being an avid fan of soccer, he once appeared at a press interview holding a soccer ball.

Russia

■ President Dmitry Medvedev (45)

■ Medvedev is the youngest president in the country’s history. He worked as a legal expert from 1991 and 1996 for a committee of the Saint Petersburg Mayor’s Office, headed by Vladimir Putin. In his youth, he was a big fan of rock bands, including Deep Purple and Black Sabbath.

Saudi Arabia

■ King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz (86)

■ Rose to the throne in August 2005

■ Abdullah was proclaimed the sixth king of Saudi Arabia in 2005, following the sudden death of his half-brother, King Fahd. His personal wealth is estimated at $21 billion. He is also Prime Minister of the Council of Ministers and Commander of the National Guard.

South Africa

■ President Jacob Zuma (68)

■ Took office in May 2009

■ Zuma is said to have received no formal schooling and, by 15, was working odd jobs full-time to help support his family. He joined the African National Congress at 16 and was engaged in the antiapartheid struggle for 35 years. He was imprisoned for many years.

Turkey

■ Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan (56)

■ Erdogan is a devout Muslim and the leader of the Justice and Development Party, a pro-Islamic party that he established with his friends in August 2001. Following his victory in the general election in late 2002, he formed the country’s first independent pro-Islamic Cabinet. He was reelected in 2007.

United Kingdom

■ Prime Minister David Cameron (44)

■ Took office in May 2010

■ Born in London in 1966, he majored in philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford University. He served as director of Corporate Affairs for Carlton Communications, a company that owns a number of TV and radio stations, including ITV from 1994 through 2001.

United States

■ President Barack Obama (49)

■ Took office in January 2009

■ Obama is the first African American president in the country’s history. He worked as a civil rights attorney in Chicago before serving three terms in the Illinois Senate between 1997 and 2004. He was a basketball player at Punahou High School, Hawaii, and still remains an avid basketball fan. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009.

“The eyes of the world will be on the Republic of Korea this year as it assumes the presidency of the G20. This is a critical time for the global economy and a major test of the G20's credibility. With the recovery still uncertain, it will be vital to move toward rebalancing global growth and recognizing that developing countries can play an important part in the emerging multipolar world economy. Support for developing countries is not charity. It is self-interest. They can become new poles of growth that will make the world economy more stable and create jobs in a developed world mired in slow growth and high debts.” “The G20 now needs to deliver on its commitments and prove its value not just in a time of crisis, but in the recovery phase and beyond. In particular, G20 countries need to face the twin challenges of implementing stimulus exit strategies and ensuring that a strong, jobs rich recovery takes hold and that growth can be restored and maintained over the longer term. If successful, that would be a major contribution of the G20 to the world economy. The G20 process is thus at a critical moment. But I am convinced that under the leadership of President Lee Myung-bak, the G20 and the Seoul Summit will be successful.” “While good progress has been made, 2010 and 2011 will be critical years for the most important pieces of global financial regulatory reform. They will largely determine whether we meet the reform objectives of creating a financial system that is more resilient and less prone to a crisis. The role of the G20 will be vital to address these remaining challenges. The Financial Stability Board (FSB), which I chair, is working closely with the Korean government to coordinate and monitor progress on the G20 financial reform agenda.”

“The eyes of the world will be on the Republic of Korea this year as it assumes the presidency of the G20. This is a critical time for the global economy and a major test of the G20's credibility. With the recovery still uncertain, it will be vital to move toward rebalancing global growth and recognizing that developing countries can play an important part in the emerging multipolar world economy. Support for developing countries is not charity. It is self-interest. They can become new poles of growth that will make the world economy more stable and create jobs in a developed world mired in slow growth and high debts.” “The G20 now needs to deliver on its commitments and prove its value not just in a time of crisis, but in the recovery phase and beyond. In particular, G20 countries need to face the twin challenges of implementing stimulus exit strategies and ensuring that a strong, jobs rich recovery takes hold and that growth can be restored and maintained over the longer term. If successful, that would be a major contribution of the G20 to the world economy. The G20 process is thus at a critical moment. But I am convinced that under the leadership of President Lee Myung-bak, the G20 and the Seoul Summit will be successful.” “While good progress has been made, 2010 and 2011 will be critical years for the most important pieces of global financial regulatory reform. They will largely determine whether we meet the reform objectives of creating a financial system that is more resilient and less prone to a crisis. The role of the G20 will be vital to address these remaining challenges. The Financial Stability Board (FSB), which I chair, is working closely with the Korean government to coordinate and monitor progress on the G20 financial reform agenda.”

“The eyes of the world will be on the Republic of Korea this year as it assumes the presidency of the G20. This is a critical time for the global economy and a major test of the G20's credibility. With the recovery still uncertain, it will be vital to move toward rebalancing global growth and recognizing that developing countries can play an important part in the emerging multipolar world economy. Support for developing countries is not charity. It is self-interest. They can become new poles of growth that will make the world economy more stable and create jobs in a developed world mired in slow growth and high debts.” “The G20 now needs to deliver on its commitments and prove its value not just in a time of crisis, but in the recovery phase and beyond. In particular, G20 countries need to face the twin challenges of implementing stimulus exit strategies and ensuring that a strong, jobs rich recovery takes hold and that growth can be restored and maintained over the longer term. If successful, that would be a major contribution of the G20 to the world economy. The G20 process is thus at a critical moment. But I am convinced that under the leadership of President Lee Myung-bak, the G20 and the Seoul Summit will be successful.” “While good progress has been made, 2010 and 2011 will be critical years for the most important pieces of global financial regulatory reform. They will largely determine whether we meet the reform objectives of creating a financial system that is more resilient and less prone to a crisis. The role of the G20 will be vital to address these remaining challenges. The Financial Stability Board (FSB), which I chair, is working closely with the Korean government to coordinate and monitor progress on the G20 financial reform agenda.”