President Roh Pledged to Raise Korea`s Per Capita Income To $20.000

President Roh Moo-hyun said Wednesday “All the Koreans want is to make the country richer, achieving $20,000 of per capita income,” emphasizing that, to that end, everything including the Korean corporate culture and social orders needs a fundamental change that the president said should be led by the government officials.

Presiding over a meeting of Cheong Wa Dae staff in the morning, the president said he would try to lay the firm groundwork to achieve that goal during his term of office, raising Korea`s per capita income to over $15,000, at least, by 2007 or 2008. To achieve that goal, the president said that the Korean economy needs a drastic reform.

President Roh said, “Achieving $20,000 in per capita income doesn`t simply mean Korea`s economic growth. It means Korea will have made considerable progresses in various aspects in terms of institutions, culture, practices, and social norms that are commensurate with a country of $20,000 in per capita income. To raise the country`s per capita income to $20,000, priorities should be given to abandoning deep-rooted regional rivalries, confrontation, self-righteousness and desire for vested interests.

Noting, “People`s expectations that I can make the changes served as the locomotive for me to win the presidential election last year," Roh urged Cheong Wa Dae staff members to make efforts to bring about changes as demanded by the people.

“Although many progresses have been made, we still have long way to go before a fundamental change prevails in Korea. For a fundamental change in Korean society, government officials have to lead the change at the forefront,” the president said, adding that if the president himself and the government fail to achieve that goal, they will suffer insurmountable pains that surely exceed pains and efforts for which they may have to pay in the process of achieving that goal.

Jeong-Hun Kim jnghn@donga.com