Lee Eyes Green, Great, Unified Korea
By Na Jeong-ju
Staff Reporter
President Lee Myung-bak announced Friday his vision for a green, great and unified Korean Peninsula, pledging to take steps for Koreans to earn respect in the international community.
In a speech to celebrate Liberation Day and the 60th birthday of the Republic of Korea, he said his administration will pursue values of ``low carbon and green growth'' to create more jobs and find new growth engines.
``Green growth is a future strategy that will enable a miracle on the Korean Peninsula to succeed the miracle on the Han River,'' he said.
``This year will be the first for the country to move toward a low-carbon society in earnest based on a package of measures against climate change to be unveiled in September.''
To raise South Korea's respect abroad, President Lee said his government will greatly raise its official developmental assistance and take part in U.N. peacekeeping operations. He also announced a Global Korea Model to share its developmental experience with the world.
``About 100,000 young people will be sent to all corners of the world, which will give them opportunities to work, learn and do volunteer service overseas,'' he said.
South Korea will become a ``broad-minded'' nation that will improve immigration procedures and policies to attract the world's gifted for working and living.
President Lee also spoke of the dawning of `` the age of a great and unified Korea,'' urging North Korea to resume inter-Korean dialogue and economic exchanges and to grab an opportunity to embrace the world community.
Once the North honors its denuclearization pledge, ''I dream of forming a Korean Peninsula economic community,'' he said.
He also urged Japan to reflect on its past wrongdoings in an apparent criticism of Tokyo's latest claim to the Dokdo islets, saying, ``Japan should face up to history and refrain from making the foolish mistake of repeating its unfortunate past,'' Lee said
President Lee pledged to strengthen safety in society, including that of food, saying, ``Human security is no less significant than national security.''
He urged the people to join the government's drive to strengthen the rule of law, transparency in government, ethical business management and industrial relations. The absence of trust in society deepens conflict and makes integration less attainable, he added.
``The aging population is posing yet another daunting challenge for us. The average lifespan of Koreans did not even reach 50 in 1948. What mattered at that time was survival. Now, the average life expectancy has surpassed 80 years. It is getting longer and longer. What really matters now is not survival but quality of life,'' he said.
The government will make major investments to raise the share of new and renewable energy from two percent to more than 11 percent of the nation's power consumption by 2030, and further to more than 20 percent by 2050.
Investment in research and development of green technology will be doubled to make the country a world leader in green technology, a sector whose value will reach 3,000 trillion won by 2020.
Experiments on solar, wind and tidal energy will be done at Saemangeum, the tidal flats on the west coast that is being transformed into an industrial complex. The administration will also carry out the Green Home Project to allow one million homes to use new and renewable energy.