The President gives New Year''s address at Cheong Wa Dae on Jan. 4.

The President said in his New Year''s address Monday (Jan. 4) that economic recovery including promoting job creation is the government''s top agenda for 2010.

To create more jobs, he said, the service industry will be promoted and small and medium-size businesses with cutting-edge innovative capabilities will be fostered. On the sluggish job market, the government will establish an integrated information network and bring about innovation in the job training system.

The President said the government will do its utmost to create a virtuous cycle of economic recovery leading to job creation, and to that end, he will hold a “strategic meeting for job creation” every month.

The government will continue efforts to better education by normalizing public education, reducing private tutoring expenses, and introducing a tuition loan system that allows repayment after borrowers get a job.

Colleges could also get the right to decide their own admissions policies and students should no longer depend on private education to prepare for the college entrance test, he said.

The government is determined to foster an educational environment where students can enter the colleges they want without expensive private lessons, he added.

The President also promised to make 2010 a turning point for balanced development of all regions of the country.

About 100 trillion won in state funding over the next five years will foster industries provinces and municipalities want the most, nurture human resources, expand key components of infrastructure, and enhance living conditions.

He said he will pursue reforms aimed at advancing politics. "The nation needs to set down new political roots through systemic reform and achieve a blossoming of politics through reform of the political culture, he added.

Lastly, The President pledged all-directional diplomacy with every country on six continents and five oceans while trying to elicit substantial changes in inter-Korean relations.

In November, Korea will host the Group of 20 summit and other large and small conferences, which will serve as a great catalyst in building an even greater Korea, The President said.

On inter-Korean relations, The president said he hopes efforts to denuclearize North Korea will see quantum progress and help facilitate full-fledged inter-Korean collaboration, thereby greatly improving the living standards of the North Korean people.