Senior officials to make all-out efforts to promote pending bills

With a series of bills for reinvigorating the economy pending in the National Assembly, ministers and vice ministers plan to meet lawmakers face to face to persuade them to pass the bills. Delayed passage of the bills, including those for promoting foreign direct investment, assisting business start-ups and abolishing heavy taxation on house transfer taxes paid by multiple home owners, could deal a blow to the slumping economy.

The plan was decided at a vice ministers` meeting to discuss follow-up measures to Prime Minister Chung Hong-won`s public statement last week calling for ending political wrangling and focusing on reviving the economy.

Participants in the meeting agreed to strengthen inter-ministerial cooperation by discussing relevant issues at a consultation meetings of vice ministers to be chaired by the minister of the Office for Government Policy Coordination (OPC). They also decided to draw up concrete measures at working-level meetings to be chaired by the second vice minister of the OPC. In addition, the government plans to make public relations efforts to provide easy explanations for key contents of the bills and their expected effects in promoting investment and employment.

"The government decided to persuade lawmakers and the public to accept the bills out of concern that delayed legislation could backtrack the economy," a government official said.