Distribution or growth?

(From The Korea Herald)

An invited lecturer to a workshop of the ruling Uri Party lawmakers lashed out at what he termed the "distribution-oriented, equality- first" socio-economic policy of the present government. Interestingly, reactions from the audience were divided into two lines, one group calling for deep consideration of the advice and the other rejecting it indignantly.

Jwa Sung-hee, president of the Korea Economic Research Institute, a think tank of the Federation of Korean Industries, demanded amendment to articles in Chapter 9 of the Constitution prescribing economic justice, discarding of the principle of equality between management and labor and an overhaul of the Fair Trade Act to ameliorate all kinds of restrictions on economic concentration.

The intention of the organizers in offering the research arm for the FKI an opportunity to present the diehard position of larger businesses is obvious. The government party which won the majority in the April 15 general elections, albeit with a small margin, is now trying to demonstrate to the electorate its readiness to listen to the voices from the far right. And internally, it is apparent that party leaders also want to placate those who warn against an abrupt left turn following the election victory ...