Good morning, fellow Koreans,

Today, I would like to share with you some insights on my recent visit to Davos, Switzerland to participate in the World Economic Forum 2010.

The Davos Forum is well known for its influential discussions that have hitherto made a consequential impact in the shaping of the global economic order. I was invited to this year’s forum as one of the forum’s main guests.

I was invited to the Davos Forum back in 2006, too, when I was the Mayor of Seoul. However, this year’s forum was far different from one that I had attended four years ago. What set it apart was the fact that the participating leaders from all corners of the world were paying keen attention to Korea. Korea was looked up as a country that is overcoming the global economic crisis faster than any other nation in the world. Korea was held in high esteem as the first emerging economy to host the G-20 Summit and a pacesetter in green growth, a new growth paradigm for sustainable development.

Countries around the world wanted to know more about us, and they listened intently to our vision for the future.

I attribute these wonderful changes that I had encountered during the forum to your hard work. All of you who united in the effort to pull our country out of recession and braced for the future deserve credit.

Fellow citizens,

Countries of the world can be categorized into two groups: one that sets the rules and the other that follows the rules. Korea has become the only country in the world that has successfully transformed itself from a passive ‘rule follower’ to proactive ‘rule setter’.

In my special address to the Davos Forum, I presented the issue of how to close the development gap between the advanced and the emerging economies, and the need to establish a global financial safety net. These two issues will also constitute the main agenda topics for the G-20 Seoul Summit in November.

I also emphasized the importance of international coordination and cooperation to achieve universal happiness and prosperity. In this effort, every nation should take part rather than a few industrialized nations dominating the issue and taking unilateral actions.

Korea is well positioned to talk about the problems of the global economy and present solutions to them. That is because we are a middle power nation that has successfully risen from being one of the poorest countries in the world. We have also first-hand experience in overcoming the financial crisis in the 90s and are first in recovering from the present global financial crisis. 

Countries around the world also acknowledge the necessity for Korea to act as a bridge between the advanced and the emerging economies; hence play a pivotal role in creating a new international order.

We are the host and chair of the G-20 Summit this year. By collecting as many opinions as possible from non-member countries of the G-20, approximately 170 in number, I will make sure that the G-20 Summit becomes a more inclusive forum, one that contributes to promoting sustainable and balanced growth of the world economy.

The World Economic Forum 2010 served as a valuable opportunity to reconfirm the significance and legitimacy of the G-20 Summit. It was also a gathering that helped highlight Korea’s role as the chair of the summit.

The forum participants noted Korea’s accession to the OECD Development Assistance Committee at the end of last year with great admiration. In Davos, Bill Gates, former chairman of Microsoft, said that he was deeply moved by Korea’s transformation from foreign aid recipient to foreign aid donor, adding that he wants to join forces with the Korean people to give hope to less developed countries, for instance, those in Africa. His wife Melinda Gates also noted that Korea’s hosting of the G-20 Summit constitutes a shining example that demonstrates to the international community what possibilities are all about.

As such, our success story helps encourage many other countries to realize their hopes and dreams. By sharing what we have with them and engaging in volunteer activities with enthusiasm, Korea is becoming a mature member of the international community.

However, this is no time for complacency. We cannot afford to let our guard down even for a moment when we think of the sufferings of unemployed people.

At Davo, I met with Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper, President of the Swiss Confederation Doris Leuthard, President of Spain Rodriguez Zapatero, King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Abdullah II and Israeli President Shimon Peres. They were all preoccupied with concerns about unemployment.

The unemployment rate of many European nations exceeds 20 percent. In particular, Spain’s youth unemployment rate stands at whopping 45 percent. These stories serve as a clear reminder that the creation of new job opportunities has to be one of the top priorities in steering state affairs.

Around the time the G-20 Summit is held in November, a business summit will also be convened with the attendance of numerous global business leaders. The business summit is being organized since the role of businesses and the private sector is as essential as that of governments in addressing the pending global issue of jobless growth.

This year, wherever you go around the world, you will hear people talk about job creation. It is my belief that job creation is the best policy to benefit ordinary people and the best welfare policy in general. Korea is getting out of the global economic crisis the fastest, and the Government will strive to make Korea the most exemplary case in job creation as well.

Fellow Koreans,

In order to create good employment opportunities, we must have a future-oriented perspective.

President Peres, who is almost ninety years old, told me that “A leader must lead the people from the front, but not from above. A country stands firm and strong when its people march ahead looking forward instead of dwelling in the past.”

In particular, he emphasized that “Korea and Israel do not have many natural resources; hence our people are our only dependable resources. That is the reason that the two nations were able to lead in the fields of science and technology. In that sense, a lack of natural resources was a blessing in disguise for us. Knowing this, the two nations should continue to work hard together.”

Every country is all out to take more of what the future holds than others. This is a historic mega trend that no nation can go against.

The United Arab Emirates is no exception. When I met Crown Prince Mohammed at the end of last year, he said, “The UAE is preparing for the post-oil era. That is why my country is placing a very high priority on building nuclear power plants and carbon-neutral cities.” The fact that the sixth largest oil producing nation is already preparing itself for the time when fossil fuels run out, was truly impressive.

My fellow citizens,

When I met with Mr. Bill Gates, he said, “You are a super-busy President.” But the fact is that I am not the only one. Leaders around the world are running at a hectic pace with an eye to overcoming the present crisis and ushering in a better future. We cannot afford to loosen our guard even for a moment.

I have no choice but to push myself hard so that our country can proceed faster and lead wiser. That is my promise. Let us all join forces to take a leap forward. When we have overcome the current difficulties, we will have made a big stride toward becoming a great nation, indeed. In this way, we will leave a better world to our children and grand children.

Fellow Koreans,

I wish you all a very happy week ahead.

Thank you very much.