By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter
Moon Kook-hyun, chairman of the minor opposition Renewal of Korea Party, proposed establishing an office to support small- and medium-sized companies, Wednesday.
Stressing those companies are a blue ocean to create many good jobs, he said now is the time to foster them and talented young people through national cooperation.
``I suggest creating a vice prime ministerial-level agency for small and medium firms,'' he said in a speech at the National Assembly. ``It is necessary to empower it to exercise independent legislative power and unify budgets and resources.''
He added that small- and medium-sized businesses, or venture companies, will be able to advance as top corporations in the world if they can hire 300,000 process engineers.
Like the work relief program of former U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the party head claimed the government should organize the division to reinvigorate the economy.
Roosevelt's Civilian Conservation Corps was designed to combat unemployment during the Great Depression in the 1930s and became the popular New Deal program.
Moon, who unsuccessfully ran in the presidential election last December, also slammed the Lee Myung-bak administration's growth-focused economic policy, underlining the importance of growth in ``quality.''
``We have to invest in people and education rather than in real estate development or digging waterways,'' he said. ``The primary mission should be to promote welfare in employment and education.''
President Lee has virtually withdrawn the ``grand waterway project'' to boost the economy by cutting logistics costs after critics pointed out his plan was not very feasible and would bring lower than expected economic benefits.
Moon added the current polarization is caused by the government's failure in politics and lack of leadership rather than market principles.