I am an editorial writer at The Korea Times, focusing on foreign policy, North Korea and domestic politics. My key areas of interest include North Korea, foreign interference in elections, election integrity, cyberattacks and human rights. Prior to joining the Editorial Board, I served as both Politics Desk editor and Culture Desk editor. During my career, I have reported on the Presidential Office under the Lee Myung-bak administration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Assembly.
Lee vows more chances for high school graduates
By Kang Hyun-kyung
President Lee Myung-bak announced Monday that high school graduates with four years’ work experience will be treated equally with entry-level college graduates in the work place.
“The government will raise its mandatory quota of new recruits among high school graduates,” he said in a biweekly radio and Internet address.
“It will identify new positions in the public sector suitable for students with special skills and expand employment based on recommendations. In public organizations, those high school graduates who have worked for four years will be treated the same as the college-educated.”
Lee said job creations and soaring prices are two policy priorities that his administration will tackle.
He said the government will prioritize its policy efforts on job creations for high school graduates.
Lee said high school students’ degree rush cost society soaring youth unemployment as degree holders are unwilling to go for jobs in the manufacturing sector, which is struggling with chronic labor shortages.
The so-called job mismatch, referring to a unique phenomenon of high unemployment among college graduates while the manufacturing sector suffers severe labor shortages, deals a blow to the economy, he said.
Lee’s remarks came amid reports that those in their 20s, 30s and 40s voted for Park Won-soon, a former civic group activist, in the Seoul mayoral race last week as they were frustrated by jobless growth amid a growing sense of instability on the future.
Park was elected the new mayor of Seoul after defeating his rival Na Kyung-won of the ruling Grand National Party by a wide margin.
The result sparked soul-searching among ruling party lawmakers, as well as Lee’s aides of the presidential office, to come up with tailored visions for the voter group.
During a daily briefing, presidential spokesman Park Jung-ha told reporters that Cabinet ministers will team up with outside experts to make the voices of policy clients heard in policy-making and implementation.