[Energy-topia]Industry Minister Kim Jeonggwan Must Attend Even "Showcase Events"

"So Many Sectors Under the Industry Ministry's Jurisdiction, It Is Beyond Imagination"
Companies Have No Chance to Meet the Minister... Opportunities Must Be Created, Even If Forced
'Doubts About the Three-Company Battery System' Remark Shows Lack o

Industry and Trade Minister Kim Jeonggwan said during the presidential work briefing in December last year that he was pushing ahead with a project to "reduce fake work by 30 percent," for which he was praised by President Lee Jaemyung. Minister Kim said, "After I took office, I told my staff not to hold events just for show, but because there are so many sectors, the number of events is beyond imagination," adding, "These are also created using taxpayers' money, so it seems only normal not to create such events."

While the intention to improve inefficient administrative practices is understandable, it is hard to agree with the statement that "it seems only normal not to create such events." As he himself said, the areas under the jurisdiction of the ministry are beyond imagination, and they absolutely require the minister's attention.

Former industry ministers did not attend such "showcase events" because they failed to recognize them as such. It is because, without at least forcing the creation of such occasions, companies would have almost no chance to meet the minister in charge.

When accompanying the minister to on-site events, it was often a whirlwind visit. Given the tight schedule and limited time, that was inevitable. The minister’s movements were also highly restricted. As a reporter, I often wondered why such events were even being held.

However, even in that brief time, it was striking to see corporate executives trying hard to use even a single moment to introduce their products and convey their requests to the minister. If the minister happened to say even a few words to them, they were so grateful that they launched into passionate explanations.

One representative industrial sector that Minister Kim has largely failed to visit since taking office appears to be the battery industry. His only on-site visit was to the construction site of the joint plant of LG Energy Solution and Hyundai Motor in Georgia, United States, where a detention incident occurred in October last year. Then, at a breakfast meeting with battery company executives last month, he was reported to have said, "I have doubts about the three-major-battery-makers system." The ministry did not deny this remark.

His comments came at a time when battery companies have been seeing contracts canceled one after another. Participants who attended the meeting to voice the difficulties facing the battery industry and to seek support must have been unable to hide their dismay. In a recent interview with the Korea Daily, he also said of the battery industry, "They have not thought enough about how to survive," adding, "I am waiting to see what answers they will come up with."

From the perspective of a reporter who has covered the battery industry for years, Minister Kim's remarks showed an extreme lack of understanding of reality. If one looks only at the domestic market, the three-major-makers system may appear excessive, but battery companies are operating on a global scale.

He emphasized "selection and concentration" as the solution, but in fact, the current difficulties facing domestic companies stem from having gone all-in on ternary batteries. Chinese companies competing with us are preparing for the future by building out full product lineups.

If Minister Kim had frequently visited battery company sites and listened carefully to business leaders, he would not so easily have made remarks along the lines of "they have not thought enough about survival." Does he even know how the Chinese battery industry has grown and how much support it has received from its government?

When it comes to understanding the importance of the battery industry, his counterpart, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, appears to be far more aware. Lutnick, attending the World Economic Forum (WEF, also known as the Davos Forum) in January, said, "Why did Europe agree to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 when it does not even produce batteries?" and added, "By doing so, they are making a decision that will leave them dependent on China."

If, as the new administration stresses, renewable energy is an unstoppable global trend, then the Korean battery industry, which can serve as an alternative to China, must be given full and unwavering support so that it can grow further.

Minister Kim, a former official at the Ministry of Economy and Finance, was tapped as industry minister while serving as president of Doosan Enerbility. It is possible that an elite bureaucrat mindset still lingers with him. However, the place where an industry minister is needed most is not at a desk or in an airport lounge, but out in the field.

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