The government will try to keep this year's current account surplus below the 2014 level to prevent sharp appreciation of the South Korean won against the U.S. dollar, the country's top economic policymaker said Monday.

Finance Minister Choi Kyung-hwan's remarks, made at a meeting with the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), comes as Asia's fourth-largest economy posted a record current account surplus of US$90 billion last year, with the Bank of Korea predicting the total will reach $94 billion this year.

"A large surplus is not desirable for a stable foreign exchange rate, so numbers need to be managed," he stressed.

The assessment is based on the sharp drop in international crude oil prices that will reduce the amount of money spent on purchasing the critical energy resource.

On economic growth, he said every effort will be made to strive for 3.8 percent annual growth.

"Some private think tanks are predicting lower numbers, but it is the government's position to use all available resources at its disposal to meet the growth target," the official, who doubles as deputy prime minister, said.

He conceded there are some deflationary concerns, with policymakers wanting to keep inflation numbers at around 2 percent this year.

On local interest rates, Choi said active measures need to be taken because any spike can impact household debt, which some view as one of the country's weak points.

The minister said some 40 trillion won can be used to help switch short-term, home-backed loans into long-term, fixed-rate loans that can ease the burden on households.

Choi said the government is committed to tackle deregulation demands made by companies to help them hire more workers, make investments and carry out critical business reforms,

The official reasserted that 2015 represents the last chance for the country to make the next economic leap forward.

"This year marks the 'golden opportunity' to make a difference," he stressed.

He called on the business community to swiftly undertake planned investments and do more to reduce youth unemployment that reached 9 percent in December. This is much higher than the national jobless rate of 3.4 percent.

KCCI members urged the government to drastically ax unnecessary red tape, allow timely reorganization of business areas, help small and medium businesses in provinces, and ease inheritance taxes that have hindered the buildup of small but globally competitive family-run businesses.

They also called for labor market reforms and attention to the rising unit labor cost.

Business leaders argued that South Korea ranks No. 4 in terms of corporate regulation intensity among the 33 members in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and 31st in economic liberalization.

They said while countries such as the United States and Japan saw a drop in unit labor costs in the past decade, numbers for South Korea have gone up 1.8 percent. Generally, higher numbers mean less labor market efficiency.

Companies said they too want to invest, yet they were held back by rules that prevent reorganization and taking over business operations of other companies.

Entrepreneurs also said real estate development restriction laws and reluctance to expand inheritance tax waivers must also be changed.

Companies called for more leeway in the new "corporate earnings circulation tax." The purpose of the tax is to get big companies to pay their workers more, make more investments or dole out greater dividends. (Yonhap)