Pres. Lee Urges Aggressive Mgmt. to Help Economy

President Lee Myung-bak said yesterday that Korea should overcome its economic crisis through a concerted effort by business leaders and active support from the government.

“In a difficult time like this, I hope (business leaders) will make bold investments on the principle of aggressive management to create jobs,” the president told a meeting of public and private sector executives at the presidential office.

President Lee also pledged to build a business-friendly environment.

“I learned that our business leaders have decided to invest far more than last year,” he said. “More corporate investment is the most welcome news for the government. In return, the government will address many stumbling blocks to investment very effectively.”

Lee also attended a Cabinet meeting on financial strategy in the southern Seoul suburb of Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province.

“To build a world-class country and make a leap forward, political circles, the administration and the people should use this occasion to jointly reach a public consensus,” he said in Gwacheon. “We need to devise a 21st-century model.”

“In the 21st century, a national campaign won’t work. The government cannot unilaterally drive the people, for instance, by playing the campaign song from early morning as past administrations did. The government should motivate the people so that they voluntarily take part. I plan on discussing this in our next meeting.”

The president’s comments are interpreted as saying his administration’s goal of building an advanced country pursues requires a new public campaign of inducing voluntary participation from the public and private sectors, rather than the old 1970s model in which the public sector was the driver.

“Each government ministry and agency needs a flagship policy,” he said. “We can make a difference in the people’s lives only when showing flagships we can highlight, while fulfilling our duties.”

The president demanded a sense of urgency, saying, “Had Japan won (World War II), it might not have been as advanced as it is today. Senior Japanese business leaders said they had a sense of urgency of either perish or survive after their country’s defeat and did their utmost.”

swpark@donga.com