South Korea's President Lee Myung-bak called Saturday for concerted efforts to overcome the economic crisis, warning that people would not trust his government unless tangible results are produced before too long, Yonhap News reported quoting Lee's spokesman.
"We should show the bud of hope to the people no later than next year," Lee told a meeting of Cabinet ministers and senior presidential aides, according to presidential spokesman Lee Dong-kwan.
"The people will tolerate this year, but they will not trust us even if we talk about hope, unless the economy improves even next year," the spokesman quoted the President as saying.
President Lee called for all officials to have a sense of urgency to cope with the unprecedented economic turmoil, saying "All responsibilities are upon us," according to the spokesman.
The president pointed out a host of obstacles and thorny roads lie ahead for South Korea, the spokesman said.
South Korea. Asia's fourth largest export-dependent economy, is expected to suffer the first recession in more than a decade. In its latest forecast earlier this week, Moody's Investors Service said the South Korean economy would shrink 2 percent this year.
"Despite the emergency economic situation, there is no sense of urgency and change of perception yet," the president said of what he felt was the lax attitude of government officials, according to the spokesman. "Show me an attitude to be responsible for results."
The Chief Executive, formerly a construction company CEO, also instructed the officials to use budgets effectively, the spokesman said.