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President-elect Lee Myung-bak speaks at a New Year's press conference for foreign journalists at the Press Center in Seoul on Thursday.
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President-elect Lee Myung-bak on Thursday said there will be no more demands for apologies from Japan during his presidency. ¡°For a new, mature Seoul-Tokyo relationship, I don't want to ask them to apologize for, or examine themselves¡± over colonial rule of Korea, Lee told foreign reporters at an event organized by the Seoul Foreign Correspondents' Club at the Korea Press Center in Seoul.
Asked if he would continue the tradition of demanding apologies from Tokyo established by his predecessors, Lee said, "It's true that Japan has so far only made perfunctory apologies or self-examinations in the past, and such apologies failed to move the Korean people to a large extent. But I'm sure that Japan will conduct a mature diplomacy regardless."
Turning to a blueprint for a streamlined government, Lee said the Unification Ministry, which is for the chop, ¡°will not be closed but merged with the Foreign Ministry to carry out higher-level duties. The ministry will be reorganized into an agency that can handle expanded inter-Korean economic cooperation in the next government." He said while North Korea has sent no formal message yet, ¡°I would welcome a congratulatory delegation from Pyongyang if it sends one to my inauguration ceremony."
The president elect vowed to ¡°find solutions to the North Korean denuclearization issue and devise a new peace formula on the Korean Peninsula.¡± He also pledged to help the North achieve a per capita income of US$3,000 in 10 years if it abandons its nuclear ambitions. ¡°I'll keep trying to persuade North Korea that abandoning its nuclear ambitions will be helpful to the regime and the people," he added.
Lee declared himself a champion of free trade agreements, promising to ¡°make sure that the Korea-U.S. FTA is ratified by the National Assembly as soon as possible and that the ongoing FTA talks with the EU are concluded soon." He hinted at plans for FTAs with Asian nations including China.
Lee said his government will improve the investment environment for foreign enterprises, lift various kinds of regulations, and stabilize labor relations. But Lee would not be drawn on the ongoing questioning of Lone Star chairman John Grayken over suspected irregularities in the purchase of Korea Exchange Bank, which has drawn some international criticism. ¡°I don't think it¡¯s appropriate to talk about the issue, given the legal proceedings. But generally speaking, I believe that Korean businesspeople must respect foreign laws when they invest in foreign countries and foreign investors must respect Korean laws when they invest in Korea."
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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