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U.S. president-elect Barack Obama ranks first on Newsweek's list of "The Global Elite: 50 Most Powerful People" released Saturday. North Korean leader Kim Jong-il ranks 12th.
Newsweek said Obama "will be judged by whether he can save capitalism" from the global crisis.
Chinese President Hu Jintao ranked second as China's influence on the world economy is growing amid the global recession. Third-ranking French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who is concurrently EU president, won high marks for his leadership in efforts to solve the European financial crisis. Ben Bernanke, chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve Board, and Jean-Claude Trichet, president of the European Central Bank, ranked fourth and fifth.
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From left, U.S. president-elect Barack Obama, Chinese President Hu Jintao, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve Board Ben Bernanke
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Newsweek said it decided the rankings based on a poll of experts and a vote by ordinary readers. It attached relatively greater importance than usual to economic influence.
Then why did North Korean leader Kim Jong-il rank 12th? Apparently because he still exercises influence managing the controversial nuclear weapons and medium- and long-range missiles and leading millions of troops despite signs of ill health. While the weekly describes him as "dangerous," he is the only Korean in the top 50.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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