PM Lee Stresses Creation of Jobs To Perk Up Economy
- Lee invited to speak at KCCI meeting before 500 audience

The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry(KCCI) invited Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan as a guest speaker at its special gathering on Sept. 16 at Hotel Shilla, where some 480 executives of its member firms, foreign diplomats and foreign businessmen came to hear the prime minister.

Prime Minister Lee's speech was entitled, "Rapidly Changing Conditions at Home and Abroad and the Direction of Policies of the Participatory Government."

At the outset of the speech, the prime minister pointed out that the most serious problem in the economy has been the sluggish domestic economy and the government has been doing its utmost to create 400,000 to 500,000 jobs and stabilize the minds of major economic players and consumers to boost growth. He said the government will continue to maintain its current economic policies until 2006, along with efforts to pave the way for increased corporate investment in facilities by removing various labor problems and regulations.

Saying that it is important to create conditions to spur domestic economic growth, he would see that the regulations on real estate transactions in the non-restricted areas would be eased and at the same time, improve various systems so that investments in large social overhead capital projects would be made.

The prime minister, in answer to a question from an audience to explain the government plan  to create an international standard labor relations systems, said the government should prevent labor disputes from doing damage to the potential growth, but if efforts won't work, the government  will go ahead with its plan to raise the labor relations to an international level. "The government would have to act alone for a stable market if its mediatory roles fall short, instead of waiting until an agreement is reached."  nw