'Pursuing Co-Prosperity'

KCCI chairman takes office as PCNC chairman

Sohn Kyung-shik, chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), took office as the chairman of the Presidential Council on National Competitiveness (PCNC) on Sept. 19. The PCNC is an advisory body to the President, established to realize the mandate of reviving the national economy.
The new PCNC chairman said in his inaugural speech, "I will strive to contribute to the pursuit of shared growth and the enhancement of national competitiveness by making the most of the experiences I have acquired as a businessman."
He made the remarks while taking the helm at the PCNC, saying that he will see to it that large-sized companies and SMEs ramp up their competitive edge by pursing co-prosperity.
Sohn said, "We have to handle the service industries as another task of raising national competitiveness on top of shared growth. In the past, tasks focusing on the manufacturing industry have been implemented, but we are now devoting ourselves to promoting the development of service industries such as tourism and logistics so as to boost domestic demand."
He noted that Korea ranked 22nd this year in the ranking of national competitiveness released by IMD, one of the world's leading business schools in Switzerland, a sharp improvement from 31st place in 2008. "We have to explore new tasks, including the active reflection of field opinions in order to achieve the government's target of rising to the 15th position," he said.
He pledged to proactively participate in U.N.-initiated activities as a means of enhancing the PCNC's international standing.
The new PCNC chairman said the prospects of the global economy are unpredictable because of the recent downgrade of the U.S. sovereign credit rating and the fiscal woes of the euro zone countries, and it is more important to expand growth potential and enhance corporate and national competitiveness in order to overcome these uncertainties.
When asked about the spread of hostile sentiments against businesses, he said, "I will personally work on eliminating anti-business sentiments since corporate entrepreneurship should be fully promoted in order to achieve economic growth, and strong anti-business feelings tend to undermine the morale of businessmen and hinder their activities."
After graduating from the prestigious Gyeonggi High School and Seoul National University Law College, Sohn served as the vice chairman of Samsung Electronics and the predecessor of Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Co. He has also held such diverse positions as chairman of CJ and of the KCCI. He is expected to concurrently serve as the KCCI chairman and PCNC chairman. Sohn has been considered the most qualified pick for becoming the PCNC chairman charged with implementing the government's initiative to pursue shared growth among large-scaled companies and SMEs. nw

President Lee Myung-bak presides over the 26th Meeting of National Competitiveness at Cheong Wa Dae on Aug. 19 as PCNC Chairman Sohn Kyung-shik looks on.

Sohn Kyung-shik, chairman of the Presidential Council on National Competitiveness (PCNC) speaks during a meeting of reporters on Aug. 18 after he was appointed the PCNC chairman.

Photo on Courtesy of PCNC