39 Public Institutions under the Ministry of Industry, including KEPCO and KHNP, to Invest 20.7 Trillion KRW and Hire 3,200 New Employees Next Year

'Meeting of Heads of Public Institutions under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy'

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Joo Sang-don] Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP), and 37 other public institutions under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) have decided to pursue facility and equipment investments worth 20.7 trillion KRW and recruit approximately 3,200 new employees next year.

The public institutions under MOTIE announced this at the 'Meeting of Heads of Public Institutions under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy' held on the 21st at the Korea Trade Insurance Corporation in Seoul, presided over by Minister Moon Seung-wook of MOTIE.

At this meeting, the 39 public institutions under MOTIE agreed to inject vitality into the Korean economy, which has been weakened by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, by increasing their own investments in facilities and equipment by 1 trillion KRW compared to the previous year, totaling 20.7 trillion KRW for next year. Specifically, the investments include ▲KEPCO 7.7 trillion KRW, ▲KHNP 3.7 trillion KRW, ▲Korea Gas Corporation 1.5 trillion KRW, and ▲Korea Midland Power 1.2 trillion KRW.

Additionally, these public institutions, including KEPCO (842 hires), KHNP (400 hires), KEPCO KPS (315 hires), and Kangwon Land (208 hires), plan to conduct new recruitments totaling about 3,200 people using non-face-to-face video interviews and artificial intelligence (AI) interviews.

To revitalize the local economy through activities such as purchasing local specialties and supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and small business owners, approximately 900 billion KRW will be allocated.

Furthermore, the meeting discussed enhancing publicness through the fulfillment of social responsibilities by public institutions and support measures for attracting the Busan World Expo.

As measures to enhance publicness, public institutions will expand the purchase of eco-friendly vehicles for official cars, promote the use of win-win payment systems, and increase the opening of institution-owned facilities to local residents. In preparation for the enforcement of the Serious Accident Punishment Act in January next year to strengthen workplace safety, they will establish a preventive safety management system and intensify efforts to prevent industrial accidents. To support the increasingly competitive bid for the Busan World Expo, public institutions will also carry out support activities utilizing their networks and infrastructure.

At the meeting, Minister Moon requested, "Please promptly implement the planned self-investments and local economic support measures for next year and actively consider expanding new recruitments beyond the initial plan." He also urged, "Mobilize all capabilities of public institutions to thoroughly implement strengthened quarantine policies and take the lead in participating in special quarantine measures such as early completion of the third vaccination."

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