Quest for a stronger regional leadership and an upgraded global profile Korea's opportunity in the crisis

Abstract

The Korean economy has suffered two major economic crises over the past 15 years - the 1997 Asian financial crisis and the 2008 global financial crisis. After analyzing both the changes in policy environments and Korea's policy responses, the article argues that the ongoing global financial crisis provided a welcomed opportunity for Korea to increase its regional and global influence. Korea's regional leadership has been strengthened especially in promoting the "development" issue in a number of international forums and in establishing a more effective crisis-prevention framework in the Asian region. As the host country of the 5th G20 Summit Meeting in 2010, Korea initiated a number of global issues, such as "development", "global financial safety net", "green growth strategy", and has been successful in fortifying its position in the global arena. As a result, the global profile of Korea appears to have been raised both substantially and substantively.