Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Kim Dong-yeon of the Ministry of Strategy and Finance (MOSF) delivers a key-note speech as a governor at the 51st Annual Meeting of ADB's Board of Governors at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) headquarters in Manila on May 5. (Photo: MOSF)

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Kim Dong-yeon of the Ministry of Strategy and Finance (MOSF) asked for ADB member countries and the international community to provide support and cooperation in Korea’s future efforts to realize the “Panmunjom Declaration.”
Deputy Prime Minister Kim made the remarks at a keynote speech as a governor at the 51st Annual Meeting of ADB's Board of Governors at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) headquarters in Manila. He led a Korean delegation to the ADB annual meeting that took place from May 3 to May 6 under the theme “Liking People and Economy for Inclusive Development.”
“The two Koreas have taken a meaningful step toward peace and co-prosperity of the Korean Peninsula through the inter-Korean Summit. I believe that this will be a giant step for the stability and development of the Asia Pacific region and further, the global community,” he said.
DPM Kim explained the Korean government’s economic policy paradigm shift to focus more on people through an income-led growth strategy. He stressed the importance of inclusive growth to enhance growth sustainability and potential.
Kim proposed aggressive investments in human development to brace for the 4th Industrial Revolution and expanded collaboration among various development partners, including the private sector.
“The key to ‘Inclusive Growth’ is establishing a virtuous cycle between economic growth and human development that can be fully enjoyed by all the people,” he said. “Korea would like to contribute more to building human capital in the region through ADB Korea Trust Fund and Knowledge Sharing Programs.”
“To address this challenge and achieve inclusive growth, we need to combine our resources and expertise to produce synergy,” he said. “Private sector, in this context, should be encouraged to be more active in filling the infrastructure gap and complementing expertise needed for inclusive development, and I hope that ADB will play a key role in creating favorable environment that attracts active participation of the private sector.”
The ADB annual meeting attracted about 4,000 people, including ADB member governors, government delegations, international financial institution officials, academicians and company officials.
ADB governors’ meeting approved the ADB 2017 Annual Report, including ADB business performances and financial statements and the 2018 budget. The ADB provided financial support for development projects worth a combined $32.2 billion in the Asia-Pacific region. By area, South Asia topped with a 33.6 percent share, followed by Central Asia with 28.4 percent, Southeast Asia with 20.1 percent and East Asia with 13.3 percent and the Pacific with 3.7 percent. Each governor shared views on ways of cooperating for inclusive development in Asia and ADB’s roles at their general assembly meeting.
Meanwhile, in a speech at an opening ceremony, ADB President Takehiko Nakao said development of such technologies as ICT is predicted to dominate growth in the region in the years to come. He stressed each government’s efforts lest such technology development should deepen disparity among classes. He spoke of priority tasks, including responses to poverty and inequality in the region, gender equality and responses to climate change the ADB wants to implement in a mid- and long-term perspective.
South Korea will make efforts to provide support to North Korea via the ADB even though ADB’s support to non-member countries is rare, Deputy Prime Minister Kim said at a meeting with reporters on the sidelines of the ADB annual meetings on May 5. DPM Kim met with ADB President Nakao and asked for his concern on ADB’s roles in inter-Korean economic cooperation according to the improvement of inter-Korean relationships.
Concerning the raising of an inter-Korean economic cooperation following the latest inter-Korean summit talks, DPM Kim said financial support by such international financial institutions as the IMF was limited. Kim, saying that there were such four cases, said South Korea was studying possible scenarios.
‘BOK Cautious about Base Rate Rise’
Gov. Lee Ju-yeol of the Bank of Korea indicated a cautious attitude toward a rise in the benchmark interest rate ahead of a rate-setting session of the Monetary Policy Committee slated for late May.
“Attention is focused on real indexes like consumption, investment, tourists and employment rather prices,” he said at a meeting with reporters on the sidelines of the ASEAn+3 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting in Manila on May 3.

김동연 부총리 겸 기획재정부 장관은 5일 필리핀 마닐라에서 열린 ADB( Asian Development Bank) 연차총회에서 ‘판문점 선언’을 실천하기 위한 남한과 북한의 노력에 대해 회원국들의 지지를 요청했다.

ADB는 아시아·태평양 지역의 개발도상국 성장을 지원하기 위해 1966년 설립한 개발은행이다.

김 부총리는 5일(현지시간) 거버너 연설을 통해 최근 남북정상회담에 다른 남북관계 진전 상황을 설명했다.

김 부총리는 “한반도의 평화와 공동번영을 위한 이번 발걸음dl 아시아태평양 지역은 물론 국제사회의 안정과 발전을 위한 거대한 도약의 계기가 될 것”이라고 밝혔다. 이어 그는 판문점 선언을 실천하기 위한 남북한의 노력에 대한 국제사회의 지지와 관심을 요청했다.

한편 이날 거버너 연설에서 김 부총리는 한국정부가 추진하고 있는 ‘사람중심 경제’로의 경제패러다임 전환상황을 소개하고, 지속가능성장과 성장잠재력 확충을 위한 포용성장의 중요성을 강조했다. 이어 4차 산업혁명 시대 대응을 위한 인적자원에 대한 적극적인 투자와, 민간부문을 포함한 다양한 개발주체 간 협력의 확대를 제안했다.

나카오 ADB 총재는 개막 연설을 통해 ICT 등 기술발전이 향후 역내 성장을 주도할 것으로 전망하며, 동 기술발전이 계층간 불형평을 심화시키지 않도록 각 정부의 노력이 필요하다는 점을 강조하고, 내 빈곤 및 불평등 문제 대응, 양성평등, 기후변화 대응 등 ADB의 중장기 과제에 대해서도 설명했다.

이번 ADB 거버너총회에서는 adb 사업 성과 등을 포함한 2017년 연차보고서와 재무제표, 2018년 예산 등을 승인했으며, 각국 거버너들의 총회연설을 통해 아시아의 포용적 개발을 위한 협력방안 및 ADB의 역할 등에 대해 공감대를 형성했다.

‘포용적 개발을 위한 사람과 경제의 연계’라는 주제 아래 진행된 이번 연차총회에는 67개 ADB 회원국 거버너 등 정부대표단, 국제금융기구 관계자, 기업인 등 4000여명이 참석했다.

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