The President has strenuously pursued "pragmatic diplomacy" ever since he took office last year, and such endeavors are proving successful.

Korea''s hosting of the Group of Twenty (G20) summit slated for November 2010 can be called one of the major achievements of the Lee Myung-bak administration''s diplomacy so far.

Korea has become the first emerging country to win the hosting of the international economic meeting, which has recently assumed the new role of coordinating worldwide economic cooperation and other core issues of poverty, hunger, climate change and nuclear problems.

In keeping with the people''s expectations of a businessman-turned President, Lee has placed national interest ahead of others in his foreign policy, since his inauguration in Cheong Wa Dae.

Just in 2008, President Lee met four times each with the leaders of the United States, Japan and China for bilateral summits, and twice with the Russian leader. Those endeavors led to such achievements as Korea''s registration under the United States'' Visa Waiver Program and currency swap deals with the United States, Japan and China.

In March this year, President Lee Myung-bak visited New Zealand, Australia and Indonesia, through which he fostered the basis of his "new Asian diplomacy." Lee also delved into the agenda of recyclable energy resources, green industry, global climate change and free trade deals with the leaders of those countries.

During his visit to London in April, the President emphasized macroeconomic cooperation among individual economies, strongly warned against global trade protectionism, and introduced Korea''s experience of successfully overcoming the 1997-98 foreign exchange crisis to the world leaders who gathered for the second G20 meeting.

In May, the President made headway into the Central Asian countries of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. In Uzbekistan, Lee adopted a "Declaration on Strategic Partnership" with the country''s leader, and in Kazakhstan he signed an MOU on industrial cooperation with its leader.

In early June, the leaders of the ASEAN countries gathered on Jeju Island to attend the ASEAN-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit. Korea and the 10 Southeast Asian countries signed a free trade agreement (FTA) on investment, and the two sides also issued a separate joint press statement against North Korea''s nuclear test.

In the September Pittsburgh summit (the 3rd G20 meeting), President Lee not only introduced Korea''s efforts to develop eco-friendly industries and protect the environment, but also suggested a “green partnership,” through which advanced and developing countries will freely exchange environment-friendly technologies.