U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday welcomed the selection of Korean-American physician Jim Yong Kim as president of the World Bank, saying the selection process had been “open and transparent” and calling Kim an inclusive leader. “I appreciate the strong support offered to Dr. Kim from leaders around the world,” Obama said in a statement about the candidate he nominated. “I am also pleased that this has been an open and transparent process, and would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the outstanding qualifications and commitment of the other two candidates.” Kim won over Nigerian Foreign Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. Former Colombian Foreign Minister Jose Antonio Ocampo withdrew from the race on Friday so that developing countries could unite around Okonjo-Iweala.
