“Bitter Talk” From Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hun-jai

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance-Economy Minister Lee Hun-jai announced, “Even if the situation faces difficulty, the market economy must be settled in order for the country to survive.”

Minister Lee met with reporters including those from this newspaper at his home in Hannam-dong, Seoul on Monday night and said that as long as he remains the economic deputy prime minister, he would act rationally, and that this is all equal to “marketism.”

As for cases contrary to the market economy principle, he mentioned the publicizing of major items of construction costs for apartments, the blind trust system for stocks and the social antipathy towards the rich.

This mention is attracting attention, showing a considerable difference with the economic views of the current government’s “reformation group.”

Minister Lee said, “The entire country is exhausting its national power on the issue of apartment construction costs, which is not very important,” and he expressed again his opposition to the matter.

Regarding the blind trust system for stocks, he stressed, “If this system is introduced, perfectly fine people will have to leave public office. I cannot understand why a past-oriented policy is trying to be used.”

The blind trust system calls on high public officials to entrust their stocks to a trust institution during their government service in order to maintain fairness and to dispel concerns over their disposal and application, and then receiving their assets back after their terms are over.

Regarding his relationship with President Roh Moo-hyun, he said, “I respect the president’s (governing) philosophy and at the same time, think importantly of my own ways.”

He added, “Matters will settle down normally if the relationship between the government and the press is good, but since the press does not believe the government, a ‘crisis syndrome’ is spreading. We are planning policy forums with the press over the long term (in order to create a better understanding of governmental policies).”

He also emphasized, “Those in their thirties and forties are the most important generation to take charge of the country’s future, and they should not just be fixated on politics, but also have an ‘economical mind’ and ‘economical ways’,” as he expressed the importance of a change in awareness of the “386 generation.”

Chi-Young Shin higgledy@donga.com