President Lee holds joint interview with four leading world business dailies
In the interview, President Lee said, "In the era of globalization, the civil service needs to bring in a variety of talented people through a wide range of channels." He went on to say, "In particular, Korea will be able to open its door wider than any other country so that foreign nationals can be appointed to civil service posts."
His remarks are construed as heralding the expansion in the employment of foreigners in the government sector and sweeping changes in the state exams for civil servants and public school teachers in line with the new Administration's initiative to reform the civil service.
The President also said, "The competitiveness of the civil service will be further enhanced by employing talented international persons in such areas as the attraction of foreign investment, trade, industry, education, culture and city planning, which are only remotely related to national security and confidential information.
Regarding the privatization of public corporations, President Lee hinted that the Government is planning to push ahead with the plan in earnest after taking into consideration stock market conditions following the April 9 general elections. The President said, "We are now in the process of preparing for privatization under the principle that functions that can be better performed by the private sector should be transferred."
In connection with the macroeconomic management plans, President Lee noted that the policy priority would be shifted from economic growth and creation of jobs to the stabilization of consumer prices. More specifically, the President remarked, "Economic uncertainties reverberating from the United States are weighing heavily on the everyday lives of ordinary citizens at the moment. In this regard, stabilization of consumer prices should receive top priority."
Touching on the planned introduction of measures to protect business management rights, the President said, "It does not mean that the Government will take any special measures. Rather, efforts will be made to ensure that those measures meet the standards of advanced countries." His remarks seemed to have been made to indicate that the introduction of the "poison pill," which was included in the policy briefing of the Ministry of Justice to the President, did not represent the official position of Cheong Wa Dae.
Regarding South-North relations, the President laid out his North Korea policy in unequivocal terms. He said, "Humanitarian assistance will continue without being linked to the North's nuclear issue. However, I want to see to it that Pyongyang, too, takes humanitarian concerns into consideration on the issue involving South Korean POWs in the North and some 400 fishermen abducted to the North." It is unusual for an incumbent South Korean President to mention POWs and kidnapped fishermen.
He also expressed his views on the possibility of the two Koreas forming a single Korean team for the Beijing Olympics scheduled for August. He said, "I am very positive about the proposition that the two Koreas participate in the Olympics as a single team or form a single cheering squad. Whether or not the proposition becomes a reality depends entirely on Pyongyang."
As for the current economic situation, the President said, "The only way to overcome the global economic crisis is for businesses to increase productivity in a concerted effort with the labor. Violations of the law whether by enterprises or labor will not be condoned. Particularly, strikes staged for ideological or strategic maneuvering will not be tolerated."
President Lee commented on the on-going investigation into Samsung Corporation by special prosecutors as follows: "The investigation by a special prosecution panel started during the previous Administration and will be completed before long as the timeframe was set beforehand. The inquiry may bring some negative effects on Samsung's international activities, but the company may be able to turn the crisis into an opportunity."
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2008년 8월 6일 17:22
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2008년 7월 9일 16:12