R: fix a mistake without using a loop

Question

I'm using the dataset LifeExpectancy that has 2938 obs and 22 vars.The dataset I'm using has a mistake in one variable (country). France is coded as developing country instead is a developed country.

year country       status        other variables
     ......        ......        ...............
2014 France        developing    ...............
2015 France        developing    ...............

To correct the mistake I have written the following code that works:

........................

df<-import("LifeEx1.xls")

j<-nrow(df)

for (i in 1:j){ 
  if ( df$country[i]=="France"  )  {             
          df$status[i]="Developed"}
   }

........................

I ask you if there is another way to solve the problem without using a loop.

My best regards, gm