If the election of Lee Myung-Bak as President of South Korea said anything about the desires of the majority of South Koreans, it is that they want to play a key role on the international stage.
Surrounded by the economic powerhouse Japan, the totalitarian dictatorship of North Korea and the ever-booming China, it would come as no surprise if many South Koreans feel a little unnoticed when it comes to world affairs.
Known for his bold, brash policy initiatives and fervent capitalist ideals, President Lee was voted in on the platform that he would make South Korea the seventh largest economy in the world (it is currently 11th).
Lee has been criticised by a variety of Korean and international political and economic experts for such promises, who deem them unrealistic and dangerous, but if anyone can make such promises reality, it could well be the 66-year-old, fresh-faced President.
After all this is the same man who took the tiny, unproductive company Hyundai and turned it into a household name throughout most of the developed world.
The construction side of the Hyundai conglomerate had around 90 workers when Lee started his tenure. When he finished it 27 years later, there were more than 160 000 workers worldwide on projects granted to the company largely through Lee's efforts.
This same man then became a mayor of Seoul, a city of 10 million, where he will be long remembered for another major scheme, the revivification of the Cheongyecheon stream in the centre of the South Korean capital. Many residents of the densely populated Seoul voiced their anger and opposition toward the plan at the time. Some even filed lawsuits against Lee for what they claimed were damages sustained as a result of his decision to resurrect Cheongyechon.
Lee's spirit and determination did not seem to be damaged as a result of all of this as he came through with his major plan, which has given a bit of pizzazz to what is largely a charmless, everyday city.
Things have not been all rosy for Lee though. While his presidential campaign was a massive success, it was somewhat tarnished by allegations of corruption involving the manipulation of stocks in a business allegedly co-founded by Lee earlier this decade.
The business, BBK, was founded in the US and Lee has been videotaped admitting to founding a company of the same name; however he has since staunchly denied having anything to do with such