Lee urges underprivileged people not to lose hope By Yoo Cheong-mo

SEOUL, Dec. 23 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Myung-bak asked the underprivileged on Tuesday not to lose hope for an imminent economic recovery, forecasting that an economic revival will be visible in South Korea starting in 2010.

Meeting with a group of 250 randomly selected poor people over lunch at the
presidential office, Cheong Wa Dae, Lee promised to further reinforce various
social safety nets to mitigate the impact of the ongoing economic crisis on
impoverished households.
"The government will proactively take measures to relieve the economic pain of
the victims of the economic crisis," said Lee.
"In these tough economic times, it is important to encourage and take care of one
another. Please trust the government's effort to strengthen social safety nets,
and don't lose hope for a bright future," said the president.
Lee also looked back on his childhood days, when he earned a living as a street
food vendor and then worked as a day laborer and street cleaner to put himself
through university.
Cheong Wa Dae said people from various walks of life, including street cleaners,
street vendors, taxi drivers and newspaper deliverers, were invited to the
year-end lunch with the president.
ycm@yna.co.kr
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