Kim promises to realize win-win politics, reformative legislation

President Kim Dae-Jung said in his New Year's message that he would keep to the right path, uphold the principles of good governance and move ahead with firm confidence in administering state affairs. In doing so, he said he would not cling to the need to maintain popularity among the public.

¡°If we steadily push ahead with reform programs during the first half of the new year, we will be able to achieve stable growth from the second half,¡¯¡¯ President Kim said.

He pledged to make a fresh start in the national administration and lay the foundation for an economic leap forward in 2001, the first year of the 21st century.

In the message, the President laid out five policy goals for this year: establishment of Korea as a champion of democracy and human rights, realization of a "grand national unity," establishment of a knowledge-based economy, protection of people in the middle- and low-income brackets, and realization of peace and cooperation between the South and North.

Referring to ongoing economic restructuring efforts, the President said the direction of the overall reforms was right, but that the actual restructuring process was not taking place to its fullest extent.

¡°The government will conclude the basic tasks of the four reform programs, including the financial sector restructuring, by the end of February and will then adopt a formula to push through further reforms as dictated by needs of the market,¡¯¡¯ he said.

The President also said that ``we can hardly expect to boost our national competitiveness in the international community and promote inter-Korean reconciliation without unity among the people.¡¯¡¯

The government will strive to do away with politics that aggravate regional animosity, he stressed.

He went on to say that the nation would carry out institutional and policy reforms to ensure balanced development between regions and classes.

The President vowed to realize a "politics of mutual coexistence" based on dialogue and cooperation between the ruling and opposition parties in the new year.

The government will put the final touches to a plan to pass reformative laws such as the human rights law, anti-corruption law and the revision of the National Security Law within the year, he added.

Yun Seung-Mo ysmo@donga.com