Transition Team Calls for Corporate Ethics
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff Reporter
The incoming government will not protect business leaders who do not play by the rules claiming to operate in a business-friendly climate, a top official of the transition team said Wednesday.
Rep. Kim Hyong-o, vice chairman of the team, said the next government's primary goal of creating the pro-business environment does not indicate that unethical business activities will be tolerated under the next administration.
Lee Myung-bak, a former business executive, was elected president on the ticket of the conservative opposition Grand National Party (GNP) in the Dec. 19 election. He will be sworn in on Feb. 25. He was also CEO of Hyundai Engineering & Construction.
Kim made the remarks after GNP officials asked team members to keep a low profile in their activities.
The officials appear to be concerned over possible backlash against the team in the light of media reports criticizing the imperial attitude of some team members.
Rep. Chung Mong-joon pointed out that President-elect Lee's emphasis on the term "business-friendly" could be perceived by the public that Lee stressed his signature slogan to curry favor with corporate leaders.
``Therefore, the team needs to send a clear signal to the private sector that business leaders need to fulfill corporate ethics (along with their profit-seeking activities)'' Chung said.
Chung is a son of the late Hyundai Group founder Chung Ju-yung. He joined Lee's team two months before the presidential election.
GNP Chairman Kang Jae-sup cautioned the team to avoid giving rise to misconceptions.
``The transition team is not entitled to exercise executive power. Therefore, it needs to be more careful not to give the public the impression they are empowered to exercise power,'' Kang said.
Vice Chairman Kim Hyong-o of the transition team attributed the seemingly improper behavior of some team members to a media frenzy over the activities of the team.
According to the team, some policy elements and measures reported in the media are yet to be confirmed as no final decision was made with regard to them.
Kim said that some ministries, which would be abolished under President-elect Lee's government reorganization plan, attempted to lobby team officials and influential politicians to save their ministries.
He made it clear that these activities would not impact the team's decision making with regard to government reorganization.