France’s Le Figaro says South Korea will join the ranks of advanced nations through its hosting of the G20 summit next year.

The daily said Thursday that South Korea has strived to shed the image of a developing nation since it became a member of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in 1996. The report added that Korea has been given an opportunity to take a leap forward by becoming the host of next year’s G20 gathering in November.

The paper noted that Korea has surprised the world by recovering from the economic crisis faster than any other member of the OECD, as its gross domestic product grew two-point-nine percent in the third quarter. The report attributed Korea’s strong performance to the sound economic foundation that was established through the restructuring of business firms and financial institutions in the wake of the 1997 Asian financial crisis.

The daily added that the green growth projects sought by the Korean government will also lay the foundation for South Korea to advance into the future.