President Lee calls for people-friendly policy

By Byun Duk-kun

SEOUL, June 30 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Myung-bak called on his ministers Tuesday to better look out for ordinary citizens, noting the success or failure of a government policy may well depend on public sentiment.

"The people may feel neglected if the government only stresses economic aspects
when pursuing a policy," Lee said in a Cabinet meeting, according to his
spokeswoman Kim Eun-hye.
"We must first carefully examine what effect each policy will have on the people
and make sure each word we speak shows our warm hearts to the people," the
president was quoted as saying.
The remarks came amid the government's recent efforts to dispel what Lee has
called a widespread public distrust of the government.
Lee himself withdrew one of his major campaign pledges to build a network of
cross-country waterways for ships for the second time Monday, saying suspicions
over the controversial project were continuing to cause unnecessary debates and
divisions.
The president also renewed his call for increased efforts to fight the remaining
woes of the global economic crisis, according to his spokeswoman.
"Even if our economy does recover relatively sooner than others, as predicted by
the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development or the International
Monetary Fund, it does not mean conditions for our ordinary citizens or small
business owners will improve immediately," he said, noting it will take one or
two more years before improvements can be felt in the market.
"Now is when we must visit our citizens more frequently to listen to their
needs," the president was quoted as saying.