We Must Guard Against Infodemics

The following is the abridged text of President Lee Myung-bak's address given Friday at the opening ceremony of the newly elected National Assembly.

The top priority will be placed on stabilizing consumer prices. The government will make sure that the rise in public utility fees, if any, will be minimal in order to relieve the burden of ordinary citizens. In addition, the distribution structure for petroleum goods and agricultural and marine products will be improved, thereby easing the burden on consumers. The Government will gradually get rid of factors in the financial and foreign exchanges markets that are putting upward pressure on prices.

For the socially weak and for ordinary citizens who suffer the most, the government will work out prudent additional measures. The government will seek cooperation from the National Assembly to appropriate about 10 trillion won of the net surplus in last year's budget for the stabilization of the everyday lives of ordinary citizens. The surplus will also be used to support the owners of small-scale businesses, farmers, fishermen and livestock raisers.

Under these circumstances, businesses have to expand investments and work hard to create as many jobs as possible. A lot of small and medium-sized companies have already participated in a campaign aimed at creating at least one job per company. For their part, conglomerates have already announced an increase of total investments by 55 trillion won in the second half of the year. Their efforts deserve appreciation. I am convinced that these efforts from various sectors will no doubt be translated into economic recovery by late next year.

The stability of the real estate market will not be agitated at all. However, transactions in the market, especially in provincial areas, have been seriously contracting. Against this backdrop, it is necessary to revitalize sluggish transactions and pursue normalization of the functions of the market to the point where stability in the prices of real estate is not undermined.

Green Growth

Responses to climate change are also very urgent and significant. We have to see as far as possible and take measures over the long haul. In addition, we need to take the initiative in the joint efforts by the global community.

What we have to pursue is sustainable growth while consuming less oil and emitting less carbon. We have to open an era of green growth under which greenhouse gas emissions are reduced without hindering economic growth. To this end, businesses are required to revamp so that they will become highly efficient and environment friendly.

FTA

Regulatory reform and improving the performance of the state-owned enterprises are a prerequisite if the nation is to join the ranks of advanced countries. The Government will push ahead with these reforms. We will diligently prepare for and unswervingly carry out our stated objectives.

We cannot afford to put off the advancement of the public sector any longer. For the operation of state-owned enterprises, about 20 trillion won of taxes is being used annually. A majority of the people are calling for reform. Functions which can be carried out more efficiently by the private sector should be transferred to it.

It is also necessary to improve the management efficiency of sectors that cannot be handed over to the private sector, including electricity, water supply and health insurance. The quality of these services must be upgraded.

I have a principle concerning personnel management: No one should be laid off when the economic situation is bad. The government will pursue improvements in management efficiency taking fully into account job security.

I beseech all lawmakers present here for your cooperation. Opportunities always present themselves disguised as crisis. The very opportunity that we should not miss is the Korea-U.S. FTA which will boost the nation's economy. I urge all of you to ratify the Korea-U.S. FTA as soon as possible. We must put the nation's interest before anything else.

Social Integration

Welfare policies for ordinary citizens and the socially vulnerable will not take a backseat because of the difficult economic situation. Instead, the government will strengthen the social safety net for the most vulnerable and help them earn a living for themselves. In addition, medical support for low-income families will be increased and customized childcare services expanded. The long-term care and insurance policy for the elderly enacted this year will be faithfully carried out. Under the New Start 2008 Project, a measure has been put in place to bail out 1.28 million people from financial trouble. We will implement various additional measures that will help 7.8 million financial delinquents.

In the absence of harmony between labor and management, it is impossible to break the current economic deadlock.

I am well aware of the difficulties facing non-regular workers. The controversial Contractual and Part-time Worker Protection Act will be complemented and amended after taking into consideration the opinions of both labor and management.

The biggest problems that worry both students and parents are costs for private education and educational gaps. Especially troubled are the low-income families that cannot afford various tuitions.

In order to reduce the need for after-school private education, public schools must be revitalized. Public schools will be encouraged to develop itself by giving them autonomy and in turn, they must be creative.

Food Safety

The people's concern about food safety is profound. So the government will approach food safety from the standpoint of ``national health security.''

In order to thoroughly assure food safety, the government will establish a national health organization under the Prime Minister to be comprised of people from non-governmental sectors.

The government will try to sharpen the competitive edge of both Seoul and provincial areas simultaneously so that every region will achieve unique specialized development. Also, the Government will encourage the formation of inter-regional economic spheres so that each region will maximize its growth potential.

At the same time, innovative cities and enterprise cities will be nurtured in a unique way so that they will serve as hubs of regional development. The International Science and Business Belt and the Saemangeum Reclamation and other projects will be carried out vigorously as part of our strategic regional initiatives.

Infodemics

An advanced society is characterized by the dominance of rationality and civic virtues. A society rampant with excessive emotional behavior, disorderliness and rudeness cannot be called an advanced society by any measure.

In this connection, we have to guard against "infodemics," a phenomenon in which inaccurate, false information is disseminated, prompting social unrest that spread like epidemics.

It is about time we began to firmly respect and understand each other better and extend generosity and thoughtfulness to other people. Generosity and thoughtfulness are instrumental to overcoming the age of confrontation and divisiveness and forging ahead with the age of harmony and partnership. society.

Coexistence and Coprosperity

I would like to make myself very clear. The highest priority of my administration's North Korea policy is to ensure the denuclearization of North Korea and in tandem, we will seek mutual benefit and co-prosperity of the two Koreas.

In the interest of genuine reconciliation and cooperation on the Korean Peninsula, it is essential that the North Korean nuclear issue be first resolved.

Recently, North Korea submitted a declaration regarding its nuclear programs, and the Six-Party Talks have resumed. As such, we are making important and substantive progress in the denuclearization process. The Korean Government, along with all the other participants in the Six-Party Talks, will continue to do all it can to achieve complete denuclearization.

As the denuclearization process progresses, substantial cooperation between the two Koreas will be rejuvenated. This will, in turn, open an age of the Korean Peninsula, with both parts of the country thriving together.

I hereby make the following proposals to North Korea.

Full dialogue between the two Koreas must resume.

The South Korean government is willing to engage in serious consultations on how to implement the inter-Korean agreements made so far, including the July 4 Joint Communique, the Basic Agreement between the South and North, the Joint Declaration of the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, South-North Joint Declaration of June 15, 2000 and the October 4, 2007 Summit Declaration between the leaders of the two Koreas.

At the same time, I propose engaging in inter-Korean humanitarian cooperation.

From a humanitarian and fraternal standpoint, the Korean government is ready to cooperate in efforts to help relieve the food shortage in the North as well as alleviate the pain of the North Korean people. The issues involving South Korean POWs, separated families and South Korean abductees should be resolved as well.

The South Korean POWs and the members of the first generation of separated families are now in their 70s and 80s. Therefore, it is the obligation of both Koreas to allow them to travel between the two sides. These people should be allowed to meet with their long-separated family members and return to their hometowns. This is a moral obligation.

In inter-Korean relations, we need a new thinking and a new direction. Based on the spirit of mutual benefit, we must move from an ``age of declarations'' to an ``age of implementation.''

Inter-Korean relations should transcend changeovers in administrations and be pursued from a future-oriented perspective for all the Korean people. The administration will carry out unification policies keeping all these things in mind and on the basis of bipartisan cooperation and with the support and consensus of the public.