Minister Kwon Do-youp of the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs (MLTM), stressed his ministry's 2012 policy key words: reinvigorating the economy, stabilizing low-income earners' livelihoods, and ensuring safety and dignity. 

In his New Year message, MLTM Minister Kwon looked back at 2011, saying, "The MLTM has already almost completed all major processes of projects to restore the four major rivers during 2011 and achieved excellent achievements in the social overhead capital sector." Kwon said he proposed his ministry's 2012 policy key words to make the New Year a year filled with hope despite the dim outlooks such as the sagging U.S. economy and the euro debt crisis: reinvigorating the economy, stabilizing low-income earners' livelihoods, and ensuring safety and dignity. He attached top priority to creating jobs to turn around the national economy, saying, "The MLTM will have to devote itself to creating jobs and get a shot in the arm for the economy." 

In particular, he set the 2012 goal of landing orders from the overseas construction market at $70 billion.

The minister also called for the exploring of new growth engines for sustainable growth such as maritime tourism and geospatial information, as is fitting with the trends of the times. He emphasized that the ministry should carry out policies in areas related to people's lives, such as in the housing and transportation fields, in a way that can be tailored to meet low-income earners' demands.

He urged his ministry to expand the green transportation network such as the high-speed railroad KTX and the metropolitan railroad network, while supplying 450,000 housing units, including 150,000 units for low-income occupants. 

He called for the ministry to ensure safety and develop the national territory into an upgraded one, thus contributing to improving the public welfare. To this end, he urged his ministry to ensure the completion of the four rivers restoration projects and to make the most of water management and other installations on the projects.  nw