Daewoo moved into the construction industry, helping to make the new village movement, that was a part of the rural development program in Korea. The company was also able to capitalize on the growing markets within the Middle East and in Africa. Daewoo was given its GTC designation at this time. The government of South Korea provided major investment help to the company in the form of subsidized loans. The competing nations were angered by the strict import controls of South Korea, but the government knew that, unaided, the chaebols will never endure the global recession caused by the 1970's oil crisis. Protectionist policies were necessary to ensure that the economy continued to grow.
Even though the government felt that both Samsung and Hyundai had the better skill in heavy engineering, Daewoo was forced into shipbuilding by the government. Okpo, the biggest dockyard within the globe was not a responsibility which Kim was wanting. He stated lots of times that the government of Korea was stifling his entrepreneurial instinct by forcing him to carry out actions based on responsibility instead of profit. Despite his unwillingness, Kim was able to turn Daewoo Shipbuilding and Heavy Machinery into a really successful corporation manufacturing ships and oil rigs which are competitively priced on a tight production schedule. This took place during the 1980s when the economy within South Korea was going through a liberalization stage.
Throughout this period, the government relaxed its protectionist measures and encouraged the existence of medium- and small-sized businesses. Daewoo was forced to rid two of its important textile companies, and its shipbuilding industry faced stiffer competition from abroad. The objective of the government was to shift to a free market economy by encouraging a more efficient allocation of resources. Such a policy was meant to make the chaebols more aggressive in their worldwide dealings. Then again, the new economic conditions caused some chaebols to fail. Amongst the competitors of Daewoo, the Kukje Group, went into liquidation in the year 1985. The shift of government favour to small private companies was meant to spread the wealth which had before been concentrated within Korea's industrial centers, Pusan and Seoul.