Mask, Quarantine, and Special Entry Exceptions Selected as Exemplary Cases of Proactive Administration

Ministry of Industry Selects Best Practices in Proactive Administration

On the 15th, when the public mask 5-day rotation system is in effect, citizens are lining up in front of a pharmacy in Mapo-gu, Seoul to purchase masks. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy selected masks, quarantine measures, and special entry exceptions as exemplary cases of proactive administration.

On the 21st, the Ministry announced that it had selected five exemplary cases of proactive administration for the first half of the year. These cases were submitted as the Ministry's representative entries for the upcoming inter-ministerial proactive administration competition (hosted by the Ministry of Personnel Management) scheduled for early next month.

The Ministry was highly praised for resolving domestic supply issues of essential raw materials for mask manufacturing during the peak of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

In March, to facilitate the supply of mask filters, the Ministry surveyed 135 countries worldwide, secured 28 samples from 9 countries, and finalized import contracts for 3 types (93 tons).

Typically, foreign procurement purchases for these items take about 40 days, but through consultation with the Public Procurement Service, this was reduced to 5 days.

The Ministry enacted and announced the 'Emergency Supply Adjustment Measure for Nonwoven Fabric for Mask Filters' to support 70 domestic companies facing production disruptions, enabling the supply of approximately 56 tons of melt-blown fabric.

This amount is sufficient to produce about 56 million masks.

In quarantine efforts, the Ministry is promoting the international standardization of the COVID-19 response K-Quarantine model to share Korea's response experience with the international community.

Currently, a 'Public-Private Expert Council' consisting of relevant ministries and private experts has been formed and is operating.

The administration that resolved special entry issues, including the Korea-China fast-track agreement reached on the 1st, also received favorable evaluations. Special entry exceptions were also arranged for Korean businesspeople in Vietnam, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and others.

In particular, in Vietnam, foreign entry bans had caused significant disruptions to Korean companies' business operations.

The Ministry cooperated with related ministries to establish an entry system and prepare local quarantine measures. As a result, on the 29th of last month, 340 essential personnel from 143 companies were able to enter Vietnam under special entry provisions.

Since September last year, the Ministry has been striving to activate proactive administration by establishing the 'Public-Private Joint Proactive Administration Support Committee' chaired by the Vice Minister.

Various incentives, including awards, are provided to outstanding proactive administration employees, focusing on areas with high public interest and impact.

A Ministry official stated, "In rapidly changing environments like COVID-19, proactive administration is more important than ever," adding, "We will do our best to ensure proactive administration is activated within the Ministry."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.