(LEAD) Gov't unveils program to support middle class

(ATTN: RECASTS headline, lead; UPDATES with remarks from President Lee in paras 4-5;
TRIMS)
By Byun Duk-kun
SEOUL, March 23 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean government Tuesday launched a new
program to support the country's middle-income workers, stressing that a strong
middle class is the key to economic recovery and future growth.

The program, named the Human New Deal, calls for efforts to prevent those in the
economic class from falling out of their bracket, as well as support for those
moving up the stratum, according to the Presidential Council on Future and
Vision.
"The government decided to launch the Human New Deal as it believes a country
with a strong middle class can overcome the economic crisis at an early date and
secure an advantageous basis for a leap after the crisis," the council said in a
press release.
President Lee Myung-bak said the collapse of the middle class around the world
amid the global financial meltdown is an "unprecedented phenomenon."
"It is important to bring people out of poverty. And more important is to prevent
people falling down to the lowest class," he told the council meeting.
Monday's meeting was also attended by Jason E. Bordoff, a project policy director
at the Brookings Institution, who said the new program was very "timely."
Bordoff also noted the social program resembled that of the United States, where
the Obama administration seeks to bring up to 95 percent of all Americans into
the middle class, the council said.
The South Korean program similarly focuses on developing the middle class and
also includes support for those seeking to launch small businesses to keep the
unemployment rate down.
Public education will also be strengthened as part of efforts to cut the link
between poverty and learning opportunities.
"Considering the need to significantly reduce the money spent on private
education that currently places huge financial burdens on households, the
government decided to work toward an education system where private education is
no longer needed," the council said.
bdk@yna.co.kr
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