Economic Circle Will Evaluate Election Promises of Presidential Candidates

The economic circle publicly announced that they would review and evaluate the election promises of the presidential candidates for the Presidential election this year.

The leaders of 5 major economic organizations held a general meeting and discussion at Weston Hotel yesterday and released `A Proposal of the Economic Circle In terms of Major National Concerns This Year.`

The 5 economic leaders revealed in the proposal that “the economic circle will thoroughly evaluate the election promises of the presidential candidates and will concentrate on the elimination of the pork barreling opportunist and anti-market moves, which damage the economy.”

The proposal of the economic circle is interpreted as the public announcement for political activity of the economic circle by exerting their influence during the presidential election. And it is expected that they will support the candidates who actively accept the opinions of the economic circle.

In relation, Cho Nam-Hong, the vice chairperson of Korea Employers Federation, remarked, “the Economic Organizations Association composed of 5 Economic Organizations will review and evaluate the election promises of the presidential candidates whether they are helpful for the national economy. We will evaluate the election promises one by one.”

Mr. Cho added that “we will express our agreements or rejections to the election promises, but without pointing out any particular candidate. Rather than exerting our influence on any particular candidate, we will lead them to reflect the opinions of the economic circle to their election promises in the process of their preparation for campaigns.” However, the economic circle will release the revaluation to the public rather circulating it through the member companies and other enterprises.

The moves of the economic circle for the participation in the politics, which is not based on the public consensus of our society, are likely to stimulate the labor circle and civic organizations to participate in the political activities.

The 5 leaders of the economic organizations expressed their concerns about the continuing decline of export and requested “the government to recognize the importance of export and to introduce pan-governmental measures for export promotion such as de-regulation and the security of the labor-management relationship and wages.”

In addition, they urged the government to punish strictly the unionists who did not return to their workshops by the law in terms of the prolonged strike of the Korea Electric Power Industries Union.

Dong-Won Kim daviskim@donga.com