By Na Jeong-ju
Staff Reporter
President Lee Myung-bak will hold a ``town hall'' meeting with a group of selected panelists on the evening of Sept. 9 to discuss measures aimed at revitalizing the slumping economy, the presidential office said Tuesday.
The conversation, which will last 100 minutes and be broadcast live nationwide, will focus on bread-and-butter issues at a time when inflation is growing and interest rates are rising. Lee will also receive questions about political and social issues, according to Cheong Wa Dae.
Originally, Lee planned to hold the session in early June on the occasion of his 100 days in office, but postponed it due to public protests against the government's resumption of American beef imports.
``We hope the event will be a crucial opportunity for the President to get closer to ordinary people and reflect their suggestions in state policies,'' a presidential spokesman said.
Lee is expected to express his opinions about Buddhists' complaints about his religious policy. Buddhist groups have demanded Lee offer an official apology and sack the country's police chief to take responsibility for his alleged discrimination against them.
The panelists will be divided into two groups. One will be an experts' group and the other a group of 90 ordinary people who will be selected at random by research firms, the official said.
Cheong Wa Dae plans to invite weightlifter Jang Mi-ran, who won the gold medal at the Beijing Olympics, and fellow lifter Lee Bae-young to the event, he said.
Lee's public approval rating dropped to below 20 percent at the height of the anti-American beef protests, but has surged to over 30 percent now.