Korea to Join AIIB as Founding Member?

It is expected that this month the Korean government will decide on whether to become one of the founding members of the China-led Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). 

The concept of the AIIB was proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to Indonesia in Oct. 2013. China signed MOUs with 21 countries, including India, a year later, and officially declared the opening of the bank with starting capital of US$50 billion. 

Washington has tried to keep the AIIB in check, because it can affect the influence of the World Bank (WB) and the Asia Development Bank (ADB). 

Britain recently expressed its desire to join the AIIB, for the first time among the G7 countries, and the U.S. criticized it for a lack of prior consultation.