South Korea will convene a meeting on job creation, presided over by President Lee Myung-bak, local media reported Monday, following the president's vow to create more jobs as part of efforts to lead the country out of the downturn. 'My Administration and I will do our utmost to create a positive cycle of economic recovery leading to creation of new jobs. Every month, I will convene a strategic meeting for job creation,' Lee said in a nationally televised speech. He wants to steer the country away from what he calls 'growth without jobs,' the president said, pledging to promote the service industry and small and medium- sized businesses. In a follow-up measure, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said it plans to call the first meeting on job creation on Jan. 14 with participating experts on education, labor, industry and social welfare, local media reported. The Asia's fourth-biggest economy took a hard blow amid the global financial crisis last year but has seen nascent signs of an economic recovery with better- than-expected economic indicators suggestive of an upturn. Despite rosy signs, Lee recently said South Korea will remain in what he calls an 'emergency economic rescue mode' during the first half of next year without seeking an exit strategy yet. 