Daewoo expanded into the construction business, helping a development program for rural Korea, the new village movement. The corporation also capitalized on the growing Middle Eastern and African markets. Daewoo received its GTC designation during this time. The South Korean government offered major investment help to the corporation in the form of subsidized loans. The competing countries were angered by South Korea's strict import controls, but the government knew that, without help, the chaebols would never endure the world recession caused by the 1970's oil crisis. Protectionist policies were required to ensure that the economy continued to grow.
Even if the government felt that Samsung and Hyundai had the greater skill in heavy engineering, Daewoo was forced into shipbuilding by the government. Okpo, the biggest dockyard within the world was not a responsibility that Kim was wanting. He stated many times that the government of Korea was stifling his entrepreneurial instinct by forcing him to carry out actions based on duty rather than revenue. In spite of his unwillingness, Kim was able to turn Daewoo Shipbuilding and Heavy Machinery into a successful corporation manufacturing oil rigs and ships that are competitively priced on a tight production timetable. This happened during the 1980s when the economy in South Korea was experiencing a liberalization stage.
The government throughout this time was reducing its protectionist measures that helped to fuel the rise of small companies and medium-sized businesses. Daewoo had to rid two of its textile companies at this time and the shipbuilding business was beginning to attract more foreign competition. The government's goal was to shift to a free market economy by encouraging a more effective allocation of resources. Such a policy was meant to make the chaebols more aggressive in their worldwide dealings. Nevertheless, the new economic climate caused some chaebols to fail. The Kukje Group, among Daewoo's competitors, went into liquidation in 1985. The shift of government favour to small private businesses was meant to spread the wealth which had previously been concentrated in Seoul and Pusan, Korea's industrial centers.