( CNN ) -- For a man whose previous nickname was `` the Bulldozer , '' balance might not be thought of as one of South Korean president Lee Myung-bak 's strong points . Promises of pragmatism and a more balanced society from the new president . However , speaking to CNN for Talk Asia just a few weeks after his inauguration as president , restoring some equilibrium to South Korean society is one of the key aims of his presidency . `` My country has undergone rapid industrialization and development , as well as democratization , '' he told Anjali Rao . `` And throughout this process , I believe some sort of balance has been lost . The gap between the haves and the have-nots has widened lately , which I believe must be rectified . '' It 's not an unfamiliar sentiment for a politician to express , but Lee 's journey from childhood poverty to the pinnacle of political life perhaps makes him more qualified than many politicians to relate to his electorate . For many of his supporters his life reflects the recent history of South Korea itself . Lee Myung-bak was born in Osaka , Japan in 1941 during the Japanese occupation of the Korean peninsular and returned to Korea with his parents at the end of the Second World War . Without any money to pay for his education , he paid his own way through university in Seoul , at one point taking a job as a garbage collector , working during the day , while studying at night . As a student he led protests against the authoritarian government , receiving a caution from police in 1962 . After graduating he took a job with Hyundai . His hard work and ambition saw that he became its CEO after just 12 years , at the age of 36 . It was as a dynamic young CEO , part of the new generation that was rapidly building South Korea 's industry and economy in the 1970 's and 80 's , he gained the nickname `` the Bulldozer '' for his single-minded approach and tenacity to drive through difficult projects . His transition from CEO to politician came when he became mayor of Seoul in 2002 and undertook one of the city ' most ambitious and popular programs of urban renewal . He was elected on the promise of transforming the city , ripping out a traffic-clogged elevated highway that ran through its center and restoring the Cheonggyecheon stream that had been covered over . It 's completion in 2005 led to a blooming example of the growing emphasis on quality of life in a country that had sacrificed economic and industrial growth for all else . It also propelled him into the international spotlight , with TIME Magazine naming him one of its Heroes of the Environment in 2007 . He has not been without his detractors , however , and even after the election there were questions surrounding his ethics . While South Korea has been trying to shed its image of corporate corruption , just four days before his inauguration as president he was cleared of accusations of stock manipulation . `` During this rapid period , yes indeed , there were a lot of side effects . And one of them was corruption and that transparency was not prevalent in our society , '' he told CNN . `` Now that I am president , such a culture in the political culture , as well as the corporate culture , must change . ''
South Korea 's new president Lee Myung-bak plans for a pragmatic presidency . His rags-to-riches story reflects recent history of South Korea . Named one of TIME Magazine 's green heroes in 2007 .