Lee Says Korea Can Overtake Japan in 10 Years
By Kim Yon-se
Staff Reporter
President-elect Lee Myung-bak said Tuesday that Korea is capable of catching up with Japan in 10 years.
``If we put forward the right directions from 2008, we could overtake Japan within 10 years, and then become a close rival of China,'' Lee said in a New Year's speech to his transition committee in Seoul.
Mentioning his campaign pledge to make the country one of the world's seven biggest economies, Lee said the goal is not ``pie in the sky.''
He cited two examples ― the Chinese government's encouragement of people to have a competitive mind set against the United States and Japan's full-fledged reshuffle of its government structure. ``In particular, many Chinese have want their country to overtake the U.S.''
Lee has pledged to raise annual growth to 7 percent during his five-year term, while raising per capita income to $40,000 over the same period with a target of creating 600,000 new jobs every year. He will be sworn in Feb. 25.
He stressed the importance of changing the mindset of public officials and members of the transition committee, saying, ``Documents are useless as long as the ideas of public officials remain unchanged.''
Because leaders, including President Roh Moo-hyun, were duped by well-polished documents, economic conditions are not any different from those of five years ago, the President-elect said.
Lee instructed committee members, including civil servants, to drop the idea of protecting the interests of their ministries, for the betterment of the living standards of the people.
During his visit to the Grand National Party (GNP) headquarters in Yeoido, Seoul, in the morning, Lee called on party lawmakers to make all-out efforts to secure the majority of the 299 seats in general elections slated for April 9.
Nicknamed ``bulldozer'' for his strong initiative and leadership, the former business executive has also displayed his pragmatic style in the management of the transition team, ordering a 20 percent reduction in its manpower and organization, compared with five years ago.
He appointed a prominent financier to jointly lead the transition team's special committee on national competitiveness.
The former mayor of Seoul also instructed members of the team to advance the start of daily morning meetings by one-and-a-half hours to 7:30 a.m. and refrain from luxurious office furnishings and expensive meals.