Gov`t to suooprt 10,000 more interns

The Ministry of Labor will recruit an additional 10,000 paid interns next month, a spokesman said Sunday. The number of such interns will thus rise to a total of 39,000 from the original 19,000 after 10,000 interns were newly employed last month as part of programs to reduce unemployment.

The government offers employers monthly subsidies of 500,000 won for each intern for three months and if they are hired on a full-time basis, it offers the same amount for another three months.

The government also plans to offer ``encouragement money`` starting in June at the earliest to companies that implement ``outplacement`` programs to provide the jobless with education for re-employment. The projected subsidy will cover 30 to 50 percent of the expenses necessary for the program.

Kim Joon-Seok kjs359@donga.com