131 Institutions Nationwide Join Hands to Build Green Remodeling Platform

LH Signs Business Agreement with Korea Land Safety Management Institute and 6 Regional Hub Platform Leading Organizations
Strengthening Regional Capabilities through Technical Support and Talent Development for Green Remodeling

Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Byeon Chang-heum is speaking at the Green Remodeling Regional Hub Platform Business Agreement Ceremony held on the 28th at the Land Development Exhibition Hall in Jeong-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul. / Provided by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport

[Asia Economy Reporter Kangwook Cho] The government has taken the first step toward establishing a regional hub platform to provide technical support and promote regional expansion of the Green Remodeling project.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced that on the 28th, it signed a memorandum of understanding at the National Land Development Exhibition Hall in Seoul with Korea Land and Housing Corporation, the Korea Land Safety Management Institute, and six leading regional hub platform institutions regarding the Green Remodeling project.

Attending the event were Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Chang-Hum Byun; Vice President (Acting President) Jang Chung-mo of Korea Land and Housing Corporation; Director Young-soo Park of the Korea Land Safety Management Institute; President Heon-Young Kim of Kangwon National University; Vice President Si-o Kim of Kyungpook National University; President Sung-soo Won of Kongju National University; President Dong-ryeol Shin of Sungkyunkwan University; President Sang-gyu Park of Chung-Ang University; and CEO Won-tae Yoon of the International Climate Environment Center.

This agreement aims to enhance the sustainability of policies by collaborating with local specialized institutions such as universities and research institutes to provide the technical support needed at public building Green Remodeling project sites, and to raise awareness of the necessity of Green Remodeling in local communities through education and promotional programs.

The signing ceremony and expert panel discussion were held as a non-face-to-face online event with only essential personnel attending to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and were broadcast live via YouTube channels of key institutions including the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Korea Land Safety Management Institute.

Public building Green Remodeling targets aging public buildings used by vulnerable groups such as children and the elderly (including daycare centers, health centers, and medical facilities), supporting project costs to improve energy performance and reduce indoor fine dust, thereby creating a comfortable living environment.

Last year, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport launched this project as part of the Korean New Deal through the third supplementary budget (22.76 billion KRW in national funds), selecting 862 public buildings across 195 local governments nationwide through a public contest and currently implementing the project.

As the project is being implemented nationwide, creating exemplary cases of Green Remodeling in the public sector and widely promoting them in local areas requires not only professional technical and administrative support but also the interest and active participation of local governments and communities.

In this regard, the need has been raised to establish a cooperative system between central and local governments utilizing local community resources to activate education, talent development, and research related to Green Remodeling in the regions, and to build a virtuous cycle structure where these activities contribute to regional development.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Korea Land Safety Management Institute prepared a plan for the composition and operation of the Green Remodeling regional hub platform and recruited leading regional hub platform institutions nationwide by region in October last year.

Through an evaluation committee that comprehensively assessed expertise and project execution capabilities, six consortia representing Sungkyunkwan University, Chung-Ang University, Kangwon National University, Kongju National University, the International Climate Environment Center, and Kyungpook National University were selected, with a total of 131 institutions participating (37 universities, 5 research institutes, and 89 companies).

The selected institutions will utilize their resources such as professional personnel to provide technical support including energy performance analysis before and after construction at public building Green Remodeling project sites, discover and operate programs to strengthen regional capabilities, and serve as regional hubs for promoting Green Remodeling through publicity and other activities.

For example, the regional hub platform will provide opportunities for local students to participate in the design and construction processes of Green Remodeling project sites, cultivating practical skills and serving as a gateway for nurturing local talent by supporting employment and entrepreneurship in the fields of architecture and energy.

The public building Green Remodeling project, which expects various roles from the regional hub platform, will be implemented this year at the same scale as last year (22.76 billion KRW in national funds), with project details scheduled to be announced next month.

The regional hub platform will also be utilized to widely promote the interest support project for private building Green Remodeling, which has expanded its budget from 8 billion KRW last year to around 10 billion KRW.

Kim Sang-moon, Director of Building Policy at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said, "The Green Remodeling regional hub platform will establish an organic partnership with local specialized institutions to support the successful execution of the Green Remodeling project and contribute to the spread of Green Remodeling through various programs such as technology development and talent cultivation. We will make further efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and revitalize the local economy through Green Remodeling, one of the ten representative projects of the Korean New Deal, and especially plan to expand the regional network for sustainable development of Green Remodeling centered on the regional hub platform."

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