An interview with President Lee Myung-bak by Yahoo! was posted on www.yahoo.com at nine o’clock (KST) this morning through its global network. Arirang TV, an English satellite broadcaster in Korea, also aired the interview in 188 nations at the same time.

So far Yahoo.com has conducted interviews with political leaders in the United States. In marking a revamping of its series of interviews to include global leaders of other countries, Yahoo.com chose President Lee Myung-bak as its first interviewee.

In the interview, President Lee said it was heartbreaking for him to see skyrocketing consumer prices weighing heavily on ordinary citizens. He expected that the Korean economy would make a turnaround by the end of next year. He went on to ask the Korean people to join forces to weather the hard times for another year or so.

He also made it clear that the Government would push ahead policies to reform state-invested corporations and streamline regulations with consistency for national development.

Concerning inter-Korean relations, President Lee said that the North Korea policy would be implemented in a flexible manner. He also said the Government maintains the principle of realizing mutual benefits and common prosperity through substantive rather than perfunctory talks.

In particular, President Lee said the North would come to know that he has as much affection for North Korean citizens as anyone has. Given that sincerity towards the North matters more than any strategies, President Lee said he expected inter-Korean relations to be restored.

Touching on the issue of the reunification, President Lee said it would basically take much time since the two Koreas have different systems. However, he remarked that it was necessary for the nation to always be prepared for any contingency as witnessed in Germany.

Regarding the KORUS FTA, he said he believes that the Bush Administration would do its utmost to obtain Congressional ratification. In addition, he also projected that U.S. presidential hopefuls will pursue the KORUS FTA in a proactive manner following the elections if they come to understand the details of it; it will serve the interests of Korea and help enhance the national strength of the United States. 

The Korean President also emphasized the need to reduce the impact of climate change. He said, “The time has come to be prepared for climate change. Korea will be an early mover in this matter compared with other countries. Just as the Republic has led global efforts to develop the information industry, it will also do so in promoting green growth. Industries related to green growth will create many jobs and contribute to a lessening in the gap between the rich and the poor.”

Aaron Task, the senior correspondent at Yahoo! Finance, said in a one-on-one interview that he was impressed by the rapid growth of the Korean economy. He said that his impression of the development and future prospects for Korea was all the more moving because he had heard about a devastated Korea from his father, a Korean War veteran. Cheong Wa Dae arranged the interview as a means of broadening the President’s communication channel with the people, particularly netizens of the world.