Good morning, fellow Koreans,

Last week, the College Scholastic Ability Test was held nationwide. I understand that all students who took the test must have worked really hard. Family members of those students and their teachers also deserve credit for having gone to great lengths to support them. I hope all their strenuous endeavors will come to successful fruition.

The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund recently reported that the Republic of Korea is getting out of the economic crisis faster than any other country. The country’s trade surplus and foreign exchange reserves have reached a record high. For these reasons, it is expected that the Korean economy will turn around next year.

Notably, when businesses in other countries opted for massive layoffs, Korean companies strived to retain their employees through job-sharing programs. Thanks to such an effort, many workers were able to protect their jobs. 

It is true that the unemployment rate in Korea is relatively low compared to other advanced countries like the United States and those in Europe. What we should face up to now, however, is the fact that there is still a very harsh employment environment for young adults and women.

We cannot afford to ease up on our state of alertness even for a moment when we think about those who cannot find jobs. Young people who will take responsibility for the country in the future and women who desire to get a job must be given opportunities to work. Only then will we be able to have more stable families, further developing the nation.

A few days ago, I visited the Human Resources Development Service of Korea in Mapo, Seoul and a job center helping the reemployment of women in Yongin, Gyeonggi-do (Gyeonggi Province). During my visits, I listened to what young people and women had to say.

There have been many debates and much thought given in an attempt to come up with appropriate solutions to the issue of youth unemployment. The answer, I believe, must lie in the young people themselves. They should take on the challenges of starting venture businesses with passion or ramping up their efforts to seek jobs with small businesses and even jobs overseas.

The number of unemployed young people with advanced degrees is on the increase, but many small and medium-sized enterprises are complaining that they are short-handed and need more than 200,000 workers in aggregate now.

Competition to enter one of the major companies or to pass the state exams to become civil servants has grown ever fiercer, often with a competition ratio of one to several hundreds. On the contrary, small businesses, especially those located in provincial areas, are ardently seeking workers, but are shunned by young people.

Let’s listen to a couple of young people I met recently.

(RECORDING)

“To get a job is important, but no less crucial is to retain a job. I regard job retention as part of self-development. When I was employed and first assigned to the Seoul office, I could find many SME assistance programs. But, when I was reassigned to the headquarters in Wonju, I could not find any of those programs at all.”

“While seeking a job, I felt there was a lack of information about the SMEs. In this regard, I hope much more information that is accurate and practical on promising SMEs will be made available for job seekers.”

The Government will provide the young people with more precise and substantive information on small but promising companies. The Government will also place top priority on giving concrete shape to job training programs conducted in collaboration between industry and academia, job placement services and programs dedicated to nurturing global youth leaders.

Recently, a whopping number of venture businesses have been launched. For its part, the Government is providing more vigorous support to them than any time before.

It is a daunting challenge for the Government alone to address the issue of youth unemployment. The Government is mulling over various policies. More importantly, however, the young people themselves and schools also have to do their utmost.

I have also had the chance to listen to two professors teaching mold engineering and nursing science, respectively, at the Gongju National University in Chungcheongnam-do (South Chungcheong Province). According to them, almost all of their graduates have successfully landed a job thanks to well-customized curriculums. They opened essential courses based upon precise analyses of what businesses at home and abroad demand from their students.

The zeal of each professor will help give more chances to students. The attention and endeavors on the part of schools will serve as an opportunity to change the future course for young people.

Young people have to recognize that lifetime employment has now become a thing of the past and that they now live in an era which requires preparation for the possibility of taking up new jobs in the latter part of their lives.

Against this backdrop, it has become necessary to improve one’s abilities to meet ever-changing needs, instead of just seeking stable employment. Together with the endeavors to enhance expertise, I recommend the Government-sponsored job training programs.

In light of my own experiences, I believe starting one’s career at an SME provides many opportunities to learn valuable lessons. I myself went through such a process. Working at large enterprises can often confine workers only to what they are supposed to do under a given circumstance. In the meantime, employment at SMEs can allow workers to display their full potential relatively freely and experience diverse fields of work. In addition, they can make their own progress taking satisfaction in the advance of their companies.

As I get along in years, I am realizing the true meaning of the proverb, “Heavy work in youth is quiet rest in old age.”

When you are young, you should not be afraid of facing challenges or possible failure. Facing challenges again and again is the privilege of young people. It is my belief that if a person is reluctant to make a bold move for fear of failure, he has no chance of succeeding in anything.

Now that the economy shows signs of making a turnaround, it may be the best time for enterprises to make investments. The Government will reform regulations and improve the general investment environment so that industries will be able to resume investing with full confidence, creating more jobs.

Ten days ago, I met with a group of women, who were entrepreneurs, employees of companies and job seekers. They are the ones who wear three or four hats simultaneously, acting as a homemaker, mother of young children, breadwinners and everything else. What impressed me the most was how bright their faces were regardless of the situation they were in.

I thought to myself that mothers are strong and beautiful, indeed. They are the personification of love and responsibility toward their families. I vividly recall what they had to say.

(RECORDING)

“I have three children. As a working mother, I had felt sorry for not being able to care for them properly. But I am much relieved since I began to receive the state-supported childcare service. I appreciate that very much. I hope that more part-time jobs will be available for women like me so that working mothers can spend more time with their children.”

“The women’s job centers are doing a very good job of turning unskilled workers into competent workers. But the problem is that not many trained women workers are hired. I hope you will be able to persuade employers to hire newly trained women workers more and more.”

I strongly believe that with a little bit of help, Korean mothers can raise children very well while contributing to their employers. The Government will do all it can do to bring about a society where workers can successfully maintain a balance between career and family life at the same time. This is important not just for the women workers but also for the protection of families and the nation as a whole.

Fellow Koreans,

The Government will place the highest priority on creating new jobs. Job creation is the alpha and omega of my Administration’s policies for ordinary people based on centrist pragmatism. Creating employment is also the best kind of social welfare program.

The Government and I, personally, will continue to strive to provide more and more employment opportunities.

I hope you will start another week with a lot of energy.

Thank you very much.