Hope and Concerns for the Future: Korean Economic Growth Top's List

In this last BCW post of 2007, a year end poll conducted by Hankook Ilbo gives some insight into hopes by many Koreans for the future. The results are no surprise. They reflect common ongoing concerns.

Hankook Ilbo
More than 60 percent of Koreans prioritized economic growth as the most important item for President-elect Lee Myung-bak's government to tackle, according to a survey Monday [December 31, 2007].

Creating jobs came next as 55 percent picked it in the multiple-choice questionaire on 1,000 adults conducted by the Hankook Ilbo and its sister paper The Korea Times.

Thirty-five percent answered the curbing of housing prices is an urgent mission for the next government to be inaugurated on Feb. 25.

South Koreans also laid great hope for economic development on Lee, former CEO of Hyundai Engineering and Construction, as 56.8 percent of respondents said the new government will likely solve the issue well.

About 13.5 percent and 5.6 percent said expanding employment and cutting housing prices would be do-good jobs for the Lee administration, respectively.