Minister Kim Vows to Support Corporate Growth "Like Propping Up Tomatoes"

Kim Jung-kwan, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, appeared as a policy lecturer at the 49th Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry Jeju Forum held at The Shilla Jeju on the 16th, presenting "three key battlegrounds for our economy" and reaffirming the government's strong commitment to support.

Kim personally recited "A Job Well Done," a poem by Moon Tae-jun, a poet who lives on Jeju Island, to draw an analogy for the government's role surrounding corporate activity. "Before getting up to eat, I propped up the tomato shoots. I sprinkled water on the chive field with a watering can. I heaped up mounds of soil around the eggplant branches. I said no unpleasant words to the nature of our home." After reciting the poem, which is included in Moon's poetry collection "The Birth of Grass," Kim said, "Propping up the tomato shoots means the intention to become a prop through industrial policy when companies are struggling," adding, "Even before eating, public servants will run diligently." He continued, "Sprinkling water on the chive field with a watering can means we will help with the sincere feeling of sprinkling water on deregulation and on research and development (R&D) support for small and mid-sized companies." He likened the phrase "heaped up mounds of soil (new shoots) around the branches" to new growth engines, explaining that "if the government supports from the side like giving water, they will naturally rise up." Regarding "I said no unpleasant words to the nature of our home," he said, "It means the government and companies should move toward a relationship of respect and trust, rather than exchanging unpleasant words and criticism."

Building on this commitment to support, Kim named artificial intelligence (AI), regions, and ecosystem as the three key battlegrounds for Korea's economy. He said the key to reversing the growth rate that declines every year lies in a speed battle for investment that does not rest on the semiconductor boom, expansion of AI infrastructure, regional investment to break the concentration in the capital area, and building an ecosystem created jointly by companies, universities, regions, and the government.