That strategy comes from Mr. Kim's precarious position as a onetime political prisoner about to take charge of a coalition government. Elected president in December in his fourth attempt with barely 40 percent of the votes, Mr. Kim has vowed to combat the power of the chaebol or conglomerates that dominate the South Korean economy. But he needs conservative support in the National Assembly, where the outgoing government has a majority. Mr. Kim's advisers say that getting economic reforms through the legislature will be more difficult the longer it takes. Mr. You said he feared that Koreans ''are not fully aware of the magnitude of the problem'' and ''are losing their sense of urgency'' about the need for reform.
Many companies are down to four, three, two or even one day of work a week.
The inventory of materials will be depleted by the end of March. The government sought to give the chaebol some of the means to reform themselves with a new law recently accepted by labor unions that allows large-scale layoffs. The confederation, however, appears reluctant to press as hard on the issue as some of its members have demanded. Workers at Hyundai Motor Co.'s main plant in Ulsan, on the southeastern coast, said Monday they would protest the suspension of five of the automaker's lines amid sagging domestic sales. Earlier, Hyundai said it had agreed on price increases with its tire suppliers, ending a dispute that forced the company to stop almost all production Saturday.