Korea in the G-20: A new era of leadership

Korea will host a Group of 20 summit in November 2010 according to a decision reached at the third G-20 meeting held in Pittsburgh, President Lee Myung-bak said at a joint press conference in Pittsburgh on Sep. 25 (local time).
"The decision to have Korea host the November 2010 meeting was reached by the G-20 leaders unanimously, thanks to Korean people’s keen desire for it," Lee said at the conference, which was jointly held with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
Canada will host the fourth meeting in June 2010, and Korea will host the fifth. The previous three rounds were held in Washington, D.C. (Nov. 2008), London (Apr. 2009), and Pittsburgh, in that order.
Meanwhile, Sakong Il, a special adviser to the President, who has led the efforts for Korea to host a G-20 meeting, said that Seoul’s hosting was a historic achievement. By hosting the meeting of the world’s most powerful economies, Korea will start playing a crucial role in the international economic spheres, he said.