Pres. Lee Stresses Economic Revival

President Lee Myung-bak said yesterday, “I plan to hastily encourage businesses to invest as freely as they want and create many jobs to revive the domestic economy. To this end, I request that the National Assembly open an interim session in May.”

The president made the comments at his first news conference at Chunchugwan, the media center of the presidential office.

“Draft bills that have earned a consensus should be concluded within the term of the 17th National Assembly without waiting for the 18th Assembly to start,” he said.

On the results of the general elections last week, he said, “I’m well aware of what the people intended to express through the elections. It was a stern command [for the government to] stop delaying decisions and focus on economic revitalization and livelihood of the people by deploying politics for mutual concession and integration.”

“The government will attend to the will of the people who empowered [the Grand National Party] to get a parliamentary majority, and will devote itself to advancing Korea.”

Lee also emphasized top-down change, saying, “It is important to make adjustments before anyone else to survive competition in the rapidly changing world. Such changes should be made top-down. Being the president, I will change first. The change must be made in the public sector first.”

“[The government will] reinforce regulations punishing corruption in the public community to handle it more strictly. It will clean dust and dirt piled up here and there in society so as to make society function in a clear and smooth way.”

On ties with North Korea, President Lee said, “Inter-Korean relations are going through a time of re-coordination in which the frame deployed over the past decade will be redefined. From this point of view, the government is taking a principled but composed attitude toward the provocative expressions and behavior made by North Korea in recent days.”

“It is time North Korea changes to adapt itself to the new international order while simultaneously opening itself to true-minded communication. Its strategy to communicate directly with the United States while neglecting South Korea will not be feasible, and will bear no fruit.”

Lee said Seoul is always ready to talk with Pyongyang whenever it helps resolve the nuclear issue and give substantial benefit for the lives of North Koreans.

Back to the economy, the president said, “Domestic consumption should not contract any more than the actual economic situation. I’ll strive so that an interim National Assembly session will be implemented to stimulate the economy, and so that the additional tax revenue collected last year will be used to stimulate domestic consumption.”

He also said the Korea Development Bank will be privatized as planned. “Some say it will take four years, but [the government is] making plans to expedite the process in three years considering the market situation,” he said.

On the emergence of pro-Lee and pro-Park Geun-hye factions within the conservative Grand National Party, he said, “My opinion is that there has been no pro-Lee faction since I was elected, though there might have been a pro-Park faction.”

Park is the former chairwoman of the party.

“The Grand National Party needs to unite itself to revitalize the economy as one, disregarding the past division of factions,” Lee said.

swpark@donga.com