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Sun, May 29, 2022 | 17:45
Business
Foreign investors show mixed responses
그린벨트규제 대폭 완화…朴대통령 "과감한 규제개혁"
Posted : 2015-05-06 16:44
Updated : 2015-05-06 21:18
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President Park Geun-hye speaks at a meeting of economy-related ministers and civilian experts at Cheong Wa Dae, Wednesday, as they discuss ways to further remove unnecessary and excessive regulations concerning foreign direct investment (FDI) as part of efforts to boost foreign investment and the local economy. / Yonhap
President Park Geun-hye speaks at a meeting of economy-related ministers and civilian experts at Cheong Wa Dae, Wednesday, as they discuss ways to further remove unnecessary and excessive regulations concerning foreign direct investment (FDI) as part of efforts to boost foreign investment and the local economy. / Yonhap

By Lee Hyo-sik


Foreign business communities here have shown mixed responses to the latest government steps to ease regulations to attract larger investments from outside the country.

Some say that they welcome the government move Wednesday to relax rules concerning capital and human resources, open industries wider to foreign capital and reflect more opinions from non-Korean companies when drawing up policies. They say Korea's corporate environment has steadily improved over the years.

Others, however, say announcing a set of deregulation measures does not solve the problem, adding policymakers should have a strong will to put policies into action.

"The Korean government has set in recent years a highly appreciated policy to attract foreign direct investment (FDI)," said Christoph Heider, secretary general of the European Chamber of Commerce in Korea (ECCK). "The steps now being formed head into the right direction, but considering the challenges Korea is facing, or will face in the future, it seems that those steps are not sufficient."

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy unveiled a host of measures Wednesday to improve Korea's regulatory environment at an economy-related ministers' meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, presided over by President Park Geun-hye.

Trade Minister Yoon Sang-jick said the government seeks to increase FDI to $30 billion in 2017 from $19 billion in 2014, adding that Asia's fourth-largest economy will attract more than $20 billion this year.

The government said it will relax rules governing capital and human resources, which foreign companies have to abide by when investing in Korea.

Among others, foreigners will be allowed to hold a majority stake on maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) firms catering to airlines. Non-Koreans will also be permitted to hire more foreign workers.

The government said it will simplify customs procedures to help foreign firms bring in raw materials and ship finished goods abroad, while opening the door wider for foreign companies seeking to invest in cosmetics, pharmaceutical and food industries.

The government also plans to hold more talks with foreign business communities to reflect their opinions on policies, and help them deal with labor-and environment-related issues.

"Foreign businesses expect a fair and open business environment in which they can operate and strive for further growth. Thus regulations should guarantee a certain freedom to operate. This includes, among others, freedom to determine selling prices or hiring of employees," Heider said. "The regulation that the number of non-Korean workers cannot exceed 20 percent of Korean employees should be abolished. In case a company needs more foreign workers, there should be no restriction."

He then urged the government to focus on strategic needs and trends to form an open and free business environment, stressing business activities should be regulated to safeguard consumer protection, but should not be overregulated.

Barbara Zollmann, secretary general of the Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KGCCI), echoed Heider's views, saying that Korea should create a predictable legal environment if it wants more foreign companies to operate here.

"Enough head-time should be given to companies when regulations or laws change so that they can prepare for the changes. Also, labor laws should balance protection of workers and hiring flexibility for companies," Zollmann said. "Korean politicians should have a mindset that the success of foreign companies, once they are invested in Korea, is not to the disadvantage of the Korean people, but that foreign firms provide jobs and income to Korean families."

An executive at a U.S. headquartered materials firm, who declined to be named, said the government must listen to foreign business communities.

"Many companies here have raised objections to a number of regulations concerning environment and labor. But policymakers have turned a deaf ear to them," the executive said. "For instance, the carbon dioxide emission trading system has placed a heavy burden on manufacturing firms because they have to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in penalties in order to emit greenhouse gases. Despite opposition from business communities, the government put the controversial scheme in place anyway, making the country less attractive."

She said Korea has become a less attractive country in the eye of foreign investors because of higher wages, increasingly uneasy labor-management relations and tightening environment regulations.

"But I highly praise the government's latest effort to boost communication with foreign businesses. Foreign business communities will keep an eye on whether policymakers keep their promises or not," the executive said.


그린벨트규제 대폭 완화…朴대통령 "과감한 규제개혁"

朴대통령, 3차 규제개혁회의 주재…양적 개혁→질적 개혁
외국인 투자규제 완화…무인차 상용화 지원, 20018년 시범운행

개발제한구역(그린벨트) 내 주민의 불편을 해소하기 위해 그린벨트 관련 규제가 대폭 완화된다.

외국인 투자 규제를 풀고, 미래유망산업으로 꼽히는 자율주행차(무인자동차)를 상용화할 수 있는 방안에 대한 지원이 추진된다.

정부는 6일 청와대에서 박근혜 대통령 주재로 '제3차 규제개혁장관회의 겸 민관합동 규제개혁점검회의'를 열어 이같은 내용을 담은 규제 개혁 계획을 발표했다.

정부는 우선 그린벨트 내 주민의 소득 증대를 위해 지역특산물의 가공·판매·체험 시설 등을 허용하고, 취락지구 내 음식점은 건축 규제를 풀어 건폐율 40%, 용적률 100%까지 건축을 허용하기로 했다.

지방자치단체가 30만㎡ 이하의 개발 사업을 할 때는 국토부가 보유한 그린벨트 해제 권한을 지방자치단체로 위임해 지자체가 그린벨트 해제와 개발계획 수립을 한꺼번에 담당할 수 있도록 했다.

그동안은 국책사업이나 지역현안 사업 추진 등 '개발'을 위해 그린벨트를 해제하는데 중점을 둬왔다면 앞으로는 지역주민의 '실생활 불편 해소'에 중점을 둬 관련 규제를 완화해 나가기로 한 것이라고 정부측은 설명했다.

외국인 투자에 대한 규제도 큰 폭으로 완화된다. 구체적인 방안으로 외국 기업도 국내 항공정비업 등에 자유롭게 투자할 수 있게 하고, 외국인 투자기업에 대한 고용 규제를 완화하며, 외국인 투자 절차와 통관 절차를 간소화할 방침이다.

교통 분야에서는 2020년까지 각종 센서와 고성능 GPS(위성항법시스템) 등을 이용해 알아서 목적지까지 운행하는 자율주행차를 상용화하기로 하고, 2018년 평창동계올림픽에서 시범운행을 하기로 했다.

?도시 내 노후화된 터미널부지, 공구상가 등에 민간자본으로 복합단지나 빌딩을 지어 도시첨단물류단지로 육성하는 방안을 추진하기로 했다.

이어 중앙부처에서는 규제를 개선했으나 지방에는 여전히 남아있는 규제 또는 상위 법령의 근거 없이 지방자치단체가 임의로 강제하는 규제 등을 개선키로 했다. 특히 국토·산업·농업·환경·행정자치 분야의 규제 4천222건이 우선대상이다.

정부는 이와 함께 금융회사의 핀테크(FinTech) 투자를 활성화하기 위해 은행들이 핀테크 기업에 출자할 수 있도록 할 방침이다. 핀테크는 정보기술을 기반으로 한 새로운 형태의 금융업이다.

아울러 모바일 건강기기 시장 진출을 활성화하기 위해 '웰니스 제품'을 모바일 기술을 활용해 건강 상태를 측정하는 개인기기로 정의하고, 다음달까지 웰니스 제품과 의료기기를 구분하는 내용의 가이드라인을 마련하기로 했다.

특히 규제비용 총량제 시범사업을 현재 14개 부처에서 단계적으로 확대하는 등 시스템도 개혁하기로 했다. 규제비용총량제는 새로운 규제를 만들 때 기존 규제를 이에 상응하는 수준으로 폐지·완화함으로써 기업이나 국민이 부담하는 규제비용의 총량을 일정 수준으로 유지하는 제도다.

이와 관련, 정부측은 작년 3월부터 1년여간 추진해온 1단계 규제개혁이 전체적인 규제개혁의 숫자에 중심을 두는 '양적 개혁'에 초점을 맞췄다면 이번 2단계 규제개혁은 파급력이 큰 규제 혁파에 중심을 두는 '질적 개혁'에 무게를 뒀다고 설명했다.

박근혜 대통령은 이날 회의에서 '우리가 규제에 묶여 있는 동안 다른 경쟁국들은 발 빠르게 움직이고 있다'며 '이제 우리도 경제회복과 청년 일자리 창출을 위해 보다 과감한 규제개혁에 나서야 한다'고 밝혔다.

박 대통령은 이어 '(정부의) 노력에도 국민이 느끼는 규제 개혁의 체감도는 여전히 높지 않다'며 '올해는 규제개혁의 정책 체감도를 높여나가는데 모든 역량을 집중해야 한다'고 말했다.

이와 관련해 박 대통령은 ▲현장중심·수요자 맞춤형 규제개혁 ▲규제품질 선진화 ▲규제집행 공무원의 근본적 변화 ▲중소기업에 부담을 지우는 인증제도의 과감한 개혁 ▲글로벌 스탠더드에 따른 규제 설정 등 5대 과제를 주문했다.

박 대통령은 '기업활동에서 가장 어렵다는 애로사항 중 하나가 소극적 행정자세'라며 '올해는 규제를 집행하는 공무원의 태도에도 보다 절실하고 사명감있게 근본적 변화를 만들어 내야한다'고 주문했다. (연합뉴스)
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