Paper Industry Leaders Gathered in One Place... "We Must Turn Crisis into Opportunity"

Korean Paper Association New Year's Meeting
Choi Byung-min, President of Clean Nara
"The Answer Lies in Eco-Friendly Business"

With the arrival of the Gapjin year, executives from the paper industry gathered in one place. They unanimously diagnosed that the current paper industry is facing a crisis.

The Korea Paper Association held the '2024 New Year's Meeting' on the 5th at the Shilla Hotel in Jangchung-dong, Seoul, aiming to promote harmony and cooperation within the paper and pulp industries and to pledge development.

(From the bottom left) Jang Man-cheon, President of Jeonju Paper; Kwon Yuk-sang, President of Paper Korea; Choi Byung-min, Chairman of Clean Country; Lee Bok-jin, Chairman of the Paper Federation; Kwon Hyuk-hong, Chairman of Daeyang Group; Kim Jong-joo, Manager at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. (From the top left) Ryu Jin-ho, President of Korea Paper; Hong Soon-ho, President of Hongwon Paper; Kim Min-hwan, CEO of Clean Country; Yoo Seung-hwan, President of Asia Paper; Jung Yeon-su, Vice Chairman of Ajin P&P. Photo by Korea Paper Federation

"Last year's difficult slump... 2024 is a turning point"

In his New Year's address, Chairman Lee Bok-jin of the association said, "Looking back on last year, we faced very difficult domestic and international economic conditions and made every effort to overcome the crisis," adding, "Our paper industry, sensitive to economic fluctuations, experienced an unprecedented slump, with significant declines in production, domestic sales, and exports."

He continued, "2024 will be a very important year, like a 'turning point' for all of us," emphasizing, "▲ Changes in demand structure and expansion of paper material business areas ▲ Strengthening competitiveness through process innovation and digital transformation ▲ Research and development (R&D) of eco-friendly products and market expansion are growth engines we must secure."

Chairman Lee Bok-jin urged three practical actions for the industry's growth this year. He said, "We must create an environment where the eco-friendliness of the paper industry is properly evaluated," and added, "We should devote ourselves to creating new demand, maintaining domestic sales, and actively expanding exports."

Finally, he concluded his New Year's address by saying, "I hope our paper industry will respond more swiftly in times of crisis and turn it into an opportunity to overcome and leap forward."

Choi Byung-min, Chairman of Kkaekkeutan Nara: "We must strive for technological development"

At the New Year's meeting, Choi Byung-min, Chairman of Kkaekkeutan Nara, emphasized that the industry must overcome the crisis by expanding R&D of eco-friendly products.

When asked what the biggest issue for the paper industry this year is, Chairman Choi replied, "The most important issue is the environment. We must actively take the lead."

He explained, "Materials such as sanitary pads and baby diapers cause environmental problems, but if we develop eco-friendly materials like biodegradable ones, there will be many related opportunities. We must engage in technological development," adding, "Kkaekkeutan Nara is also investing heavily in this area. We are emphasizing that we should take the lead."

There was also criticism of government policies.

An executive A from the paper industry, met on this day, said, "Cheap products are coming in from overseas, such as Indonesia, but domestic companies that import pulp and manufacture products inevitably have higher prices due to labor costs and other factors," adding, "However, overseas products do not even indicate the origin of the raw materials used."

He continued, "There is a clear difference in the quality level that consumers feel, but since there is no indication of origin and no government-level anti-dumping measures, the domestic industry is at risk of collapse," raising his voice, "If domestic companies die out, foreign companies will raise prices, ultimately harming consumers."

Another executive B lamented, "Last year, industrial electricity rates increased, and this year the electricity bill budget alone reaches hundreds of billions of won, which is a heavy burden." He added, "Electricity rates will definitely rise after the general election, and if that happens, the electricity bill could reach 100 billion won, so the government needs to come up with related measures."

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