Business lobby's annual forum kicks off in Jeju

An annual forum held by the country's leading business lobby group kicked off its four-day run on South Korea's resort island of Jeju on Wednesday.

The 42nd Jeju Forum hosted by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry opened at Hotel Shilla, bringing together some 600 businessmen and experts to discuss key issues faced by Asia's fourth largest economy.

Marc Knapper, the acting U.S. ambassador to South Korea, and China's top envoy in Seoul Qiu Guohong are scheduled to give lectures on economic cooperation between the countries later this week. 

Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon was originally planned to deliver a speech Wednesday, but could not attend the opening ceremony due to issues over parliamentary approval of a government bill on an extra budget.

In an opening speech, KCCI President Park Yong-man said the country's entrepreneurs should take a leading role in correcting bad practices in the industry and resolving issues ranging from poor working conditions to job insecurity.

"Spreading positive messages to overall society is the best way for businesspeople to gain trust from the public and to raise companies' social standings," he said. (Yonhap)