By Na Jeong-ju
Staff Reporter
President Lee Myung-bak pledged Thursday that he would focus on laying a solid foundation in 2010 for Korea to become an advanced country.
``We saw a ray of light from the darkness in 2009. We made a lot of achievements, but the most important one is that we regained confidence,'' Lee said his New Year's message to the nation. ``In the New Year, I and the government will make utmost efforts to make a stronger and bigger Korea.''
Last year, the country won the rights to host the G20 Summit, slated for November, which has replaced the more elite G8 as the world's premier economic forum.
It joined the OECD Development Assistance Committee, a club of major donor countries, in November, and announced a plan to triple its economic aid to poor countries to 0.25 percent of gross national income (GNI) by 2015 to help achieve more balanced global growth.
South Korean firms also won a deal worth $40 billion to build and operate nuclear plants in the United Arab Emirates, paving the way for Korea to become a major energy facilities exporter.
``The achievements were possible because people supported us,'' Lee said. ``The country is now standing at the threshold of becoming an advanced nation. I'm confident that we can achieve that goal soon.''