Lee to vow measures to avert slump in real economy

By Yoo Cheong-mo

SEOUL, Nov. 2 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Myung-bak is scheduled to deliver his second radio address on Monday, reiterating his determination to take various preemptive measures to prevent the financial crisis from spilling over into the real economy, presidential aides said Sunday.

In the seven-minute address that will air on KBS Radio, starting at 7:50 a.m.,
the president will urge domestic business conglomerates to support financially
strapped small businesses and call for concerted efforts to boost public
confidence in economic recovery, said the aides.
"Lee will declare his strong willingness to stanch the fallout from the global
financial crisis, as the nation has managed to tide over its foreign exchange
liquidity crisis thanks to a recent US$30 billion currency swap deal with the
U.S.," said a presidential aide.
"In addition, the president will emphatically stress the need for closer
cooperation between small and large businesses."
Lee gave his first U.S.-style radio address on Oct. 13, vowing to focus his
policy efforts on increasing new jobs and overcoming the financial market crisis.
He plans to give a radio address every other week.
Amid mounting criticism that the president may use the biweekly radio address to
unilaterally impose his political view on the public, KBS Radio said it will
allow the heads of all major political parties to give their own radio speech the
following day after the presidential address.
"The president's address will be aired at 7:50 a.m. every other Monday. Leaders
of all parliamentary negotiating groups will also be allowed to give a radio
address every other Tuesday," the public broadcaster said in a brief statement.
"In the first such case, Chung Sye-kyun, chairman of the main opposition
Democratic Party, will give his first radio address on Tuesday morning."