President Kim, ``When ethics is recovered, the nation develops``

``One should not offer bribe to the government officials due to the self-interest, while critiquing corruption of others.``

President Kim Dae-Jung said yesterday at a ceremony to mark the signing of the anti-corruption bill that ``no national development is possible without the extermination of corruption.`` Kim Sung-Nam, chairperson of the anti-corruption special committee, Kim Gak-Jung, president of the Federation of Korean Industries, and Lee Nam-Soon, chairperson of the Federation of Korean Labor Unions attended at the ceremony.

Kim Sung-Nam said, ``The anti-corruption special committee will establish a more strict ethical standards than the ethical principles for the general government officials.`` Kim Gak-Jung said, ``Prevention of corruption and the strengthening of ethics are essential to the improvement of the competitiveness of the business companies. Transparent management has been emphasized centering around the major corporations. For instance, 69.7 percent of the 30 major corporations have adopted the ethical principles.`` Jung Jae-Hun, president of the Korean Bar Association, said that ``the foundation of the constitution is liberal democracy and the constitutionalism. Our society took a step forward to the constitutionalism and the transparent society by singing the anti-corruption bill.``

ysmo@donga.com