Ministry of Industry Holds 'Public Institution Policy Council' Meeting... Conducts Emergency Safety Inspection

Choi Nam-ho, Director General of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Attends Public Institution Innovation TF Meeting
(Seoul=Yonhap News) Choi Nam-ho, Director General of the Planning and Coordination Office at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, is speaking at the 'Public Institution Innovation TF Meeting' held on August 25 at the Korea Trade Insurance Corporation conference room in Jongno-gu, Seoul. 2022.8.25 [Provided by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Redistribution and DB prohibited]
Photo by Yonhap News
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[Asia Economy Sejong=Reporter Lee Jun-hyung] The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy will conduct an emergency safety inspection targeting its affiliated public institutions.

The ministry announced that on the morning of the 4th, it held the 'Policy Council for Public Institutions under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy' at the Korea Trade Insurance Corporation in Seoul, chaired by Choi Nam-ho, Director General of Planning and Coordination. The meeting was attended by 41 deputy heads of public institutions under the ministry, including Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO).

The ministry plans to expand the emergency safety inspection not only to 17 disaster management responsible institutions such as KEPCO and Korea Gas Corporation but also to all public institutions. Following the Itaewon incident, the ministry is already conducting an urgent inspection of hazardous and risk factors at its headquarters and 12 affiliated institutions. Director General Choi expressed, "We extend our deepest condolences to the victims and bereaved families of the Itaewon incident," and urged, "To prevent such accidents from happening again, please thoroughly inspect workplaces, facilities, and working environments under the leadership of institution heads."

The ministry also decided to actively promote regulatory innovation together with its affiliated public institutions. Earlier, after the inauguration of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, the ministry established 110 sector-specific regulatory discovery and improvement plans, including the removal of investment barriers. At the meeting, the ministry discussed regulatory innovation measures in the public sector that can enhance corporate capabilities by improving regulations that block private market entry. Additionally, the ministry plans to transfer six tasks from four institutions, including the Korea Electrical Safety Corporation’s electrical safety management agency work, to the private sector.

Regulatory Innovation Tasks for Public Institutions under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.
[Photo by Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy]

The ministry also requested cooperation from public institutions regarding key policy directions. First, to implement the 'Energy Saving and Efficiency Measures' discussed at the Emergency Economic Ministers’ Meeting on September 30, the ministry decided to promote winter energy-saving campaigns for the public and encourage employees to join the energy cashback program with its affiliated public institutions. The ministry emphasized the technology-sharing project that transfers unused technologies owned by public institutions free of charge to small and medium-sized enterprises and the enhancement of domestic software utilization.

At the meeting, the ministry expressed its intention to strengthen management and supervision of emergency safety diagnoses of public institutions. Director General Choi stated, "For the activation of regulatory innovation, the top priority of the new government, it is crucial that frontline public institutions discover hidden regulations and reform them," and added, "All public institutions under the ministry should work with the mindset of being agents of industrial promotion and export expansion."

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