Korea's largest business lobby called on President-elect Park Geun-hye to exercise strong leadership to overcome economic difficulties, pledging that it will also do its part by increasing investment.
South Korea's economy faces heightened uncertainty stemming from the protracted eurozone debt problems and the global economic downturn that undercut its exports.
"The president-elect's leadership is more important than ever before to tide over the crisis," the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) said in a statement.
The president-elect is set to take office on Feb. 25, though she will work closely with her transition team to come up with specific measures based on her campaign promises.
The FKI also called on Park to adopt economic policies that can contribute to creating jobs and promoting investment, declaring that the business community will also do its best to lead Asia's fourth-largest economy through investment and job creation.
Still, the FKI did not give details on what its members, many of them conglomerates, would do to carry out its pledge.
The unemployment rate stood at 2.8 percent last month, unchanged from the previous month. The rate has been in the 2-percent range for three straight months, according to Statistics Korea.
About 353,000 jobs were created in November compared with a year earlier, down from 396,000 jobs registered in October, the statistics office said. It was the smallest figure since last September when it slowed to 264,000.
Meanwhile, Sohn Kyung-shik, chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry asked Park to ease business regulations and carry out tax reform to ensure that companies can invest and create jobs.
"(We asked) the president-elect to concentrate her efforts on overcoming crisis and reviving the economy" said Lee Hee-beom, chairman of the Korea Employers Federation.
Han Duck-soo, chairman of the Korea International Trade Association, called for Park's support in South Korea's move to sign a separate free trade agreement with China and Japan.
In May, Seoul and Beijing announced the launch of formal free trade negotiations, expecting the talks to take two years.
China is the largest buyer of South Korean goods and has contributed to Seoul's sizable trade surplus in recent years, while South Korea is China's third-largest trading partner after the United States and Japan.
Free trade talks between Seoul and Tokyo have been stalled since late 2004, mainly due to Japan's reluctance to lower tariffs on agricultural goods. (Yonhap)
South Korea's economy faces heightened uncertainty stemming from the protracted eurozone debt problems and the global economic downturn that undercut its exports.
"The president-elect's leadership is more important than ever before to tide over the crisis," the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) said in a statement.
The president-elect is set to take office on Feb. 25, though she will work closely with her transition team to come up with specific measures based on her campaign promises.
The FKI also called on Park to adopt economic policies that can contribute to creating jobs and promoting investment, declaring that the business community will also do its best to lead Asia's fourth-largest economy through investment and job creation.
Still, the FKI did not give details on what its members, many of them conglomerates, would do to carry out its pledge.
The unemployment rate stood at 2.8 percent last month, unchanged from the previous month. The rate has been in the 2-percent range for three straight months, according to Statistics Korea.
About 353,000 jobs were created in November compared with a year earlier, down from 396,000 jobs registered in October, the statistics office said. It was the smallest figure since last September when it slowed to 264,000.
Meanwhile, Sohn Kyung-shik, chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry asked Park to ease business regulations and carry out tax reform to ensure that companies can invest and create jobs.
"(We asked) the president-elect to concentrate her efforts on overcoming crisis and reviving the economy" said Lee Hee-beom, chairman of the Korea Employers Federation.
Han Duck-soo, chairman of the Korea International Trade Association, called for Park's support in South Korea's move to sign a separate free trade agreement with China and Japan.
In May, Seoul and Beijing announced the launch of formal free trade negotiations, expecting the talks to take two years.
China is the largest buyer of South Korean goods and has contributed to Seoul's sizable trade surplus in recent years, while South Korea is China's third-largest trading partner after the United States and Japan.
Free trade talks between Seoul and Tokyo have been stalled since late 2004, mainly due to Japan's reluctance to lower tariffs on agricultural goods. (Yonhap)
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