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박근혜 대통령은 9일(한국시간) 한미 양국 경제 대표들과 만찬을 가지며 외국인 투자자들의 안보 위기 불안을 해소했다.
이날 박 대통령은 미국 상공회의소가 주최한 원탁 회의와 점심 만찬에 참석했다. 미측에서 다니엘 에커슨 GM 회장, 마릴린 휴슨 록히드 마틴 회장을 포함한 대표 기업인 170명이 참석했다.
박 대통령은 이날 영어로 직접 연설하며 “불필요한 행정 절차는 과감히 정리할 것이며, 모든 경제 영역에 새로운 활력을 불어 넣겠다”며 “이러한 노력이 모여 한국이 미국 투자자들뿐 아니라 전세계 기업인이 투자하기 좋은 국가로 거듭 성장할 것”이라고 말했다.
특히 “외국인들이 한국 국채를 더욱 매입하는데, 이는 한국 경제의 탄력성과 시련도 기회로 삼는 대한민국의 능력에 대한 ‘신용투표라’”며 대내외 난제에도 불구하고 한국 경제는 흔들리지 않는 점을 거듭 강조했다.
이날 미측 참석자들은 박 대통령의 창조 경제를 지지하며 한국에 투자를 지속한다는 의지를 밝혔다. 청와대에 의하면 박 대통령은 이번 순방을 통해 보잉, 커티스 라이트, 올모스트 히어로스 등 대기업 7개로부터 총 3억 8,000만 달러에 이르는 투자를 유치했다.
특히 에커슨 GM 회장은 지난 달 미국 CNN 방송 인터뷰에서 북한 도발 위협이 고조되면 한국 내 생산 공장을 철수시키겠다고 밝힌 바 있으나 이날 “한국을 떠나지 않겠다”며 향후 5년간 80억 달러를 한국에 투자한다는 계획을 약속대로 진행한다고 말했다.
하지만 에커슨 회장은 투자 저해 요소로 엔저 현상과 통상임금을 꼽았다고 수행중인 조원동 청와대 경제수석이 전했다. 한국 GM(주)는 최근에 통상임금을 두고 노조측에서 제기한 소송에 패소한 것으로 알려졌다. 통상임금은 퇴직금 결산 요소인데, 법원은 상여금과 보너스도 통상임금에 포함되어야 한다는 결정을 고수하고 있다.
이와 관련, 원탁 회의에 참석한 중견기업 대표도 통상임금이 중소기업에 상당한 무리를 가할 것을 우려했다.
이와 관련, 조 수석은 “만약 통상임금이 법원 결정대로 되면 우리 산업 전체가 연간 38조원을 추가로 부담해야 한다”며 “이는 외국 투자자 뿐 아니라 대기업, 중견기업 등의 수출 경쟁력을 떨어뜨리게 돼 우리 경제 전체가 심각한 타격을 입을 수 있다”고 말했다.
박 대통령도 “GM 혼자만의 문제가 아니라 한국경제 전체가 겪고 있는 문제”라며 공감을 표시했다고 한다.
이후 박 대통령은 한미 FTA의 성과를 분석하며 확고한 안보 태세를 기반으로 양국간 경제 협력이 더욱 심화할 것을 약속했다.
한편, 박 대통령은 이날 회의에 앞서 취임 후 처음으로 대기업 총수들과 대면했다. 이번 5인 경제 사절단은 역대 최대규모로서 이건희 삼성 회장, 정몽구 현대차 그룹 회장, 구본무 LG그룹 회장 등 주요 인사들이 수행했다.
중소기업 대표로 남민우 벤처기업회장과 강호갑 한국중견기업연합회 회장이 참여했고, 노조를 대표하는 문진국 한국노동조합초연맹 위원장이 동반하여 북한 안보 위기에도 불구하고 한국 경제가 안정적으로 성장하고 있다는 사실을 과시했다.
이날 행사에서 박 대통령은 “최근 대기업들이 일감 몰아주기를 해소하고 비정규직의 정규직 전환 등 진전된 방향으로 움직여 매우 바람직하다고 생각한다”면서 “30대 그룹이 일자리와 투자를 크게 늘리겠다고 밝힌 것도 매우 감사하다”고 말했다.
이에 이건희 회장은 박 대통령의 창조 경제를 적극 지지하며 “대기업과 중소기업, 벤처기업이 다 함께 동반성장하는 환경”을 강조했다. 이어 ”삼성은 창조경제의 구체적인 성과를 만들어 내는데 최선을 다하고 투자와 일자리를 최대한 늘려 우리 경제를 튼튼히 하는데 앞서겠다”고 말했다.
정몽구 회장은 연구 개발을 확대한다는 의지를 밝히며 “중소 기업과 상생을 도모하고 전 사업에 걸쳐 양질의 일자리를 창출하는데 힘쓰겠다”고 말했다.
구본무 회장은 사회적 책임을 다하고 투자와 고용을 증진하겠다고 밝히며, 박 대통령에게 “기업들이 나서서 미래 이공계 인재를 양육할 수 있도록 지원할 수 있도록 정책적 지원을 부탁 드린다”고 말했다. (코리아 헤럴드 이주희 기자/번역 이상주)
<관련 영어 기사>
Park assures U.S. businesses on Korea investment
GM reaffirms 8 trillion won investment plan
By Lee Joo-hee
Korea Herald correspondent
WASHINGTON -- President Park Geun-hye on Wednesday (Thursday Korea time) met with prominent business leaders in Washington, D.C. and stressed the safety and attraction of Korea as an investment destination despite the North Korea risk.
On the second-last leg of her U.S. trip, Park attended a roundtable and a luncheon hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. One hundred and seventy leading figures from American business such as GM Chairman Daniel Akerson and Lockheed Martin CEO Marillyn Hewson attended, as did many of Park’s business delegation.
“We will deal boldly with needless red-tape and we will breathe fresh energy into all facets of economic activity. Taken together, these efforts will make Korea a destination of choice both for American investors and other foreign businesses,” Park said in her speech delivered in English.
“Notably, foreigners are increasingly becoming net purchasers of Korean bonds. I am inclined to believe this is a vote of confidence” in the resilience of the Korean economy and in Korea’s track record of turning adversity into opportunity, Park added.
The U.S. participants praised the Seoul government’s efforts for a so-called creative economy and reaffirmed their investment plans for South Korea.
According to the presidential office, Seoul attracted foreign direct investment worth $380 million from seven U.S. enterprises such as the Boeing Company, Almost Heroes LLC and Curtiss-Wright on the occasion of the president’s U.S. visit.
The roundtable also became the site of heated discussion due to an interview GM’s Akerson gave last month that indicated his company could consider moving its production line in South Korea if the North Korea risk grew.
At the meeting with Park, Akerson was quoted as saying the company was “not abandoning” Korea and was planning to invest around 8 trillion won in the country in the next five years.
But he also talked about the two key obstacles that his company faced, which were the weak yen and the latest court rulings in Korea regarding the scope of the “ordinary wage,” according to Cho Won-dong, chief secretary for economy at a press briefing held in Los Angeles, the last stop of Park’s trip.
GM Korea lost a lawsuit raised by its labor union regarding the standard payment, or the basis upon which severance pay is calculated. The court ruled in favor of the union that bonuses must be included in the ordinary payment, Cho explained.
The issue was also raised during Park’s breakfast meeting with Korean businesses, during which a medium-sized company owner broached the subject, saying it could become a major obstacle to businesses operating in the country and that it could spread to small companies down the road.
Park, during the luncheon, reportedly said, “It is not only a problem faced by GM, but the entire Korean economy,” indicating her attention to the matter.
Park also evaluated the progress of the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement and pledged economic cooperation would continue to grow on the basis of a robust security posture.
Earlier in the day, Park held her first face-to-face encounter with the heads of the country’s biggest conglomerates since her inauguration. The 52-member delegation included chairmen Huh Chang-soo of the Federation of Korean Industries, Sohn Kyung-shik of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Lee Kun-hee of Samsung Electronics, Chung Mong-koo of Hyundai Motor Group, Koo Bon-moo of LG Group, Kim Chang-geun of SK Group’s top decision-making SUPEX Council and Shin Dong-bin of Lotte Group.
Moon Jin-kook, head of the Federation of Korea Trade Unions, the nation’s largest labor umbrella group, also accompanied the delegation, showing a “united front” to portray a robust business environment despite external risk factors, namely North Korea.
Representatives of small and medium-sized companies such as chairmen Kang Ho-kap of the Association of High Potential Enterprises of Korea and Nam Min-woo of the Korea Venture Business Association also joined.
The session, held over breakfast in Washington, was also considered a moment of reconciliation for Park and the top business leaders, as they had an uneasy start upon Park’s election on the back of so-called economic democratization.
“It is all the more pleasant to see you all in the U.S. as we could not have the opportunity to do so in Korea,” Park told the participants in an opening speech.
“The occasion has been effectively turned into an example of investor relations as you have accompanied me to show that the Korean economy is being stably managed as foreigners have anxiety due to recent provocations by the North.”
She praised the big wigs’ moves toward ending the practice of giving preferred contracts to its affiliates and making irregular workers regular employees and urged them to continue to try making a fair market economy and expand investment.
In response, Lee Kun-hee showed support for Park’s creative economy pledge, saying that it was important to create an environment where large conglomerates, small and mid-sized companies and venture businesses could mutually grow together.
“Samsung will put utmost efforts to bring about specific accomplishments in terms of creative economy and stand at the vanguard to making our economy robust by maximizing investment and jobs,” Lee said.
Chung Mong-koo also promised wider investment into research and development, and said, “We will try the hardest to create high-quality jobs that can spread out to the entire industry by actively pursuing win-win growth with smaller businesses.”
Koo Bon-moo pledged LG would fulfill its social responsibilities as well as pursuing investment and employment. He also urged the president to provide policy support so that large businesses could invest in fostering future scientists and engineers. (jhl@heraldcorp.com)
Park assures U.S. businesses on Korea investment
GM reaffirms 8 trillion won investment plan
By Lee Joo-hee
Korea Herald correspondent
WASHINGTON -- President Park Geun-hye on Wednesday (Thursday Korea time) met with prominent business leaders in Washington, D.C. and stressed the safety and attraction of Korea as an investment destination despite the North Korea risk.
On the second-last leg of her U.S. trip, Park attended a roundtable and a luncheon hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. One hundred and seventy leading figures from American business such as GM Chairman Daniel Akerson and Lockheed Martin CEO Marillyn Hewson attended, as did many of Park’s business delegation.
“We will deal boldly with needless red-tape and we will breathe fresh energy into all facets of economic activity. Taken together, these efforts will make Korea a destination of choice both for American investors and other foreign businesses,” Park said in her speech delivered in English.
“Notably, foreigners are increasingly becoming net purchasers of Korean bonds. I am inclined to believe this is a vote of confidence” in the resilience of the Korean economy and in Korea’s track record of turning adversity into opportunity, Park added.
The U.S. participants praised the Seoul government’s efforts for a so-called creative economy and reaffirmed their investment plans for South Korea.
According to the presidential office, Seoul attracted foreign direct investment worth $380 million from seven U.S. enterprises such as the Boeing Company, Almost Heroes LLC and Curtiss-Wright on the occasion of the president’s U.S. visit.
The roundtable also became the site of heated discussion due to an interview GM’s Akerson gave last month that indicated his company could consider moving its production line in South Korea if the North Korea risk grew.
At the meeting with Park, Akerson was quoted as saying the company was “not abandoning” Korea and was planning to invest around 8 trillion won in the country in the next five years.
But he also talked about the two key obstacles that his company faced, which were the weak yen and the latest court rulings in Korea regarding the scope of the “ordinary wage,” according to Cho Won-dong, chief secretary for economy at a press briefing held in Los Angeles, the last stop of Park’s trip.
GM Korea lost a lawsuit raised by its labor union regarding the standard payment, or the basis upon which severance pay is calculated. The court ruled in favor of the union that bonuses must be included in the ordinary payment, Cho explained.
The issue was also raised during Park’s breakfast meeting with Korean businesses, during which a medium-sized company owner broached the subject, saying it could become a major obstacle to businesses operating in the country and that it could spread to small companies down the road.
Park, during the luncheon, reportedly said, “It is not only a problem faced by GM, but the entire Korean economy,” indicating her attention to the matter.
Park also evaluated the progress of the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement and pledged economic cooperation would continue to grow on the basis of a robust security posture.
Earlier in the day, Park held her first face-to-face encounter with the heads of the country’s biggest conglomerates since her inauguration. The 52-member delegation included chairmen Huh Chang-soo of the Federation of Korean Industries, Sohn Kyung-shik of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Lee Kun-hee of Samsung Electronics, Chung Mong-koo of Hyundai Motor Group, Koo Bon-moo of LG Group, Kim Chang-geun of SK Group’s top decision-making SUPEX Council and Shin Dong-bin of Lotte Group.
Moon Jin-kook, head of the Federation of Korea Trade Unions, the nation’s largest labor umbrella group, also accompanied the delegation, showing a “united front” to portray a robust business environment despite external risk factors, namely North Korea.
Representatives of small and medium-sized companies such as chairmen Kang Ho-kap of the Association of High Potential Enterprises of Korea and Nam Min-woo of the Korea Venture Business Association also joined.
The session, held over breakfast in Washington, was also considered a moment of reconciliation for Park and the top business leaders, as they had an uneasy start upon Park’s election on the back of so-called economic democratization.
“It is all the more pleasant to see you all in the U.S. as we could not have the opportunity to do so in Korea,” Park told the participants in an opening speech.
“The occasion has been effectively turned into an example of investor relations as you have accompanied me to show that the Korean economy is being stably managed as foreigners have anxiety due to recent provocations by the North.”
She praised the big wigs’ moves toward ending the practice of giving preferred contracts to its affiliates and making irregular workers regular employees and urged them to continue to try making a fair market economy and expand investment.
In response, Lee Kun-hee showed support for Park’s creative economy pledge, saying that it was important to create an environment where large conglomerates, small and mid-sized companies and venture businesses could mutually grow together.
“Samsung will put utmost efforts to bring about specific accomplishments in terms of creative economy and stand at the vanguard to making our economy robust by maximizing investment and jobs,” Lee said.
Chung Mong-koo also promised wider investment into research and development, and said, “We will try the hardest to create high-quality jobs that can spread out to the entire industry by actively pursuing win-win growth with smaller businesses.”
Koo Bon-moo pledged LG would fulfill its social responsibilities as well as pursuing investment and employment. He also urged the president to provide policy support so that large businesses could invest in fostering future scientists and engineers. (jhl@heraldcorp.com)
