President Yoon Suk Yeol pledged to personally check up on strategies promoting South Korean exports and urged all ministries to do what they can to increase exports while fostering industry growth.

Presiding over the inaugural export strategy meeting on Wednesday, Yoon called for the government's proactive support for an export industry led by the private sector.

The president emphasized that exports are the key to overcoming the current global crisis, urging officials to devise customized promotional strategies for different regions and to understand the challenges faced by local firms in winning export orders.

He specifically called on the environment ministry to break away from its regulatory duty and to start fostering environment-related industries.

Meanwhile, the trade and transport ministries reported on ways to revitalize the export industry by reinforcing cooperation with the Middle East, Central and South Americas and Europe in defense, nuclear plant and infrastructure industries.

The ministries also proposed diversifying export items for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the U.S. and China, which together consume 57 percent of the country's exports.