Gov`t to drive deregulation for foreign business: Prime Minister

Prime Minister Lee Han-Dong said Monday that the government will be working on diverse programs that better reflect the traits of the jobless, thus enhancing the efficiency of its unemployment measures, the most pressing task of this year.

In a report on the government¡¯s business plans for this year at the National Assembly plenary session, Lee said, "Not to leave young people unemployed for long periods of time, the government will provide them with internship programs, technology training programs in information and telecommunication and chances to create new firms."

Lee also said the government would push for legislation of laws to reform the quasi-tax systems within the first half of the year.

"The government will seek to rein in increasing public utility charges to peg the consumer price increase rate at the 3 percent level," the prime minister added.

Lee went on to say that the government plans to open a window for the regulatory reforms to address on-site inconveniences that foreign and local companies are facing.

He said that the government would reduce the number of people who are excluded from the list of those who do not contribute to the national pension fund and will include stress from work among the criteria for benefits under the industrial disaster insurance plan.

"In particular," Lee stressed, "the government will seek ways of stabilizing the financing of the national health insurance plan in such a way as to expand state subsidies."

As for the revision of the National Security Law, Lee said that the government would handle the issue cautiously without rushing it. "We will listen to opinions from people of all walks of life and conduct close consultations with both the ruling and opposition parties."

Referring to the personnel management policy for government agencies and public corporations, Lee vowed to drastically correct it for the better, so that it does not concentrate on certain regions or schools. "Concrete plans for implementation will be worked out by the end of this month."

Prime Minister Lee further said that, among other things, a strong security posture is a must, for the sustained development of relations between South and North Korea and the settlement of peace on the Korean peninsula.

Lee also said the government would tackle the issue of offering electricity asked by North Korea in a reasonable way, considering the nation's own power conditions and public sentiment.