Long, Hard Work Ahead

Vice MOCIE Minister Kim pledges efforts to step up securing energy sources abroad

Vice Minister of Commerce, Industry and Energy Kim Jong-kap, in his New Year's message, said the nation gained a substantial result in the industrial achievement thanks to hard work put in by every one in the field including business leaders, workers and most of all, efforts by the general public, giving hope that the nation will be able to achieve its aim of becoming the fourth largest industrial country and 8th strong trader in the world through revitalized economy and the progress in every sector.
Last year, exports surged over $300 billion for the first time in history with a double-digit growth for 4 years in a row, overcoming the steep appreciation of the Korean currency, high oil prices, and an intense international competition. The country was poor in many ways in the early '60s in terms of industrial activity, with hand-made toupees making up a major part of its exports. But in over 40 years, the nation achieved $300 billion in exports and has become the 11th largest exporting country in the world last year.
In the process, Korea's image as a strong industrial country has been upgraded with the shipbuilding sector ranked No.1 in the world, the semiconductor ranked third, electronics 4th, and steel and automobile 5th. In the parts and material industries began to show that they could narrow the trade gap with Japan for the first time last year.
The Participatory Government led by President Roh has made progresses in various areas including the closer cooperation between large companies and SMEs, and balanced regional development.
The Vice MOCIE Minister said all leaders of major large companies joined in the effort to help SMEs and the number of innovative SMEs with competitive technologies has been rising, boosting the share of regional industries in the make up of GDP.
The government has been making various efforts for stable supply of energy to achieve stable livelihood for the people and the industrial development through summit diplomacy to strengthen cooperation on energy with oil-producing countries and pushed the development of alternative energy sources including solar-energy, wind power and fuel battery in the area of new and renewable energy.
But it looks as though we still have a long way to travel. This year, too, high oil prices, and the appreciation of the Korean currency against the dollar are likely to continue with the possibility for slowdown the world economy, creating challenging economic environment for our economy, the MOCIE minister said.
As the minister in charge of the real economy, he said he would like to pledge an all-out effort with MOCIE public servants to work to minimize the difficulty for the people and business community and make the industrial structure strong.
The current framework for exports and balanced national growth will be maintained, while strengthening the vitality of the real economy. He said the effort will be made to complete the systems for major long-and medium term goals such the development of "live and let live"cooperation, the nurturing next generation growth engines and the overseas exploration of natural resources.
The MOCIE will push new policies aimed at switching the industrial structure to employment-friendly one, while securing sustainable growth engines. Through the fusion of technology and industry, the ministry will try to raise value-added portions of major industries. The fusion of IT, BT, NT and bio industry, aging-friendly industries, among others, the future strategic industries will be discovered and nurtured. In order to do so, the ministry will destroy all the walls in the way of the ministry's operations including the systems, regulations and reformed in favor of the systems to bring about technology innovation and fusion trends.
The new MOCIE minister also pledged that the ministry will train personnel that can work for customer-centered system, rather than the existing school-oriented personnel system as the ministry will push the growth of distribution, logistics, e-business service and e-business knowledge- based service along with the service industry, and go all-out to bring along the growth of parts and material industry, where many SMEs have been engaged in to create good-quality jobs.
He said he will also try to have the country's international trade to reach the $1 trillion trade age as early as possible falling back on the potentials that have been built in the country because exports will continue to sustain the expansion of the national economy in the future as it has done in the past. nw

Vice MOCIE Minister Kim Jong-kap delivers a speech at the ministry's New Year ceremony on Jan. 5.