Lee says R&D investment key to economic revival

By Byun Duk-kun
SEOUL, Jan. 8 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak Thursday called
for increased corporate investment in research and development, saying the
country must prepare for the future especially when times are difficult.
The call came three days after Lee urged businesses to increase their investment
in green technology, which he said will provide competitiveness once the
worldwide economic downturn comes to an end.
"Now indeed is the time when our country can take a leap to become an advanced,
first-class nation, so we must thoroughly prepare for the future while working to
overcome the current crisis on the other hand," Lee said in a meeting with
scientists and engineers, according to an excerpt of his speech released prior to
the meeting.
The meeting was to be held later Thursday at the Korea Science and Technology
Hall in southern Seoul with some 800 officials and other figures who represent
the country's science, industrial and academic sectors, the presidential office
said.
The president earlier said the ongoing problems in the financial market could
soon be felt in the real economy.
"I ask our scientists and technicians to actively take steps to help our country
overcome the economic crisis at the earliest date possible, and I also ask our
businesses to put in more investment in research and development, which will
provide the source of their competitiveness in the international market," he said
in the speech.
bdk@yna.co.kr
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