New York, March 25: The nomination of South Korea-born Jim Yong-kim as US President Barack Obama’s choice to head the World Bank represents a stunning advance for a people who came onto the world stage for all practical purposes only 20 years ago when Seoul was admitted to the UN at the end of 1991.
A South Korean, Ban Ki-moon, already heads the UN as its secretary-general, a post widely regarded as embodying mankind’s conscience and is arguably the world’s most important diplomat.
In the short span of two decades which do not represent even a blip in history or necessarily a milestone in diplomacy, South Koreans have left their firm footprint on the exclusive world of international organisations.
There is a lesson that India can learn from South Korea, where Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is currently witness to Seoul’s spectacular role in world affairs in recent years.
South Korea, which has steadily built up its global presence by nominating its people for key international civil service jobs, stands in direct contrast to India’s minuscule presence on the world stage. Except for one — Kamalesh Sharma, secretary-general of the Commonwealth — no Indian heads any worthwhile international organisation any more, a far cry from the early years of Independence when prominent Indians were sought-after for important jobs that impacted mankind. READ MORE
