At a news conference after the lay-offs announcement, First Minister David Trimble and Deputy First Minister Seamus Mallon disclosed the formation of a task force to investigate employment opportunities for those who would lose their jobs.
Doing it will not be easy, because the top chaebol remain powerful (the four biggest account for a third of domestic output) and because competition will accelerate bankruptcies and lay-offs, bringing large-scale unemployment to the country for the first time in 20 years.