"Construction Industry Competitiveness Comes from the Field" Public and Private Sectors United for Safety, Mutual Growth, and Innovation

Asia Economy held the "20th Asia Construction Comprehensive Awards" at the Korea Press Center on September 24. At this year's event, DK Asia and Korea Land & Housing Corporation each received the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Award in the brand and architecture categories, respectively. Seoul Housing & Communities Corporation was awarded the Seoul Mayor's Award in the win-win cooperation category. Nine companies, including Kumho Engineering & Construction, Daewoo Engineering & Construction, Doosan Engineering & Construction, Hyundai Engineering & Construction, Lotte Engineering & Construction, DL E&C, GS Engineering & Construction, Hanwha Construction Division, and HDC Hyundai Development Company, were selected for the Asia Economy CEO's Award in their respective categories.

Nam Youngwoo, Director of the Construction Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said in his congratulatory speech, "Each house, every section of road, and every cityscape began with your hands and built today's Korea. Your efforts to prioritize safety, boldly adopt new technologies, and maintain quality and trust have borne fruit today." He added, "We now face challenges such as the climate crisis, economic recession, and recurring safety accidents. At this time, values such as safety, trust, and a people-centered approach are more important than quantitative growth."

Nam Youngwoo, Director General of the Construction Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, is delivering a congratulatory speech at the "20th Asia Construction Comprehensive Awards" held at the Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul on September 24, 2025. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

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Director Nam stated, "The government will also revise systems and increase budgets to ensure that the safety management system operates effectively on-site." He continued, "I hope that everyone at companies will prioritize safety as if everyone on-site were their own family. The true strength of construction ultimately comes from the people who safeguard the field."

Kim Byungmin, Deputy Mayor for Political Affairs of Seoul, encouraged the audience by saying, "The driving force behind today's Korea, both in the domestic construction industry and at overseas project sites, has been the sweat and passion of construction professionals who have quietly dedicated themselves on-site."

He went on to say, "Recently, the construction industry has been facing new challenges. In addition to structural issues such as ongoing safety accidents, an aging workforce, and rising raw material prices, the sweeping changes brought by the Fourth Industrial Revolution require a fundamental transformation of the industry. Actively responding to these changes is the task before us."

Byungmin Kim, Deputy Mayor for Political Affairs of Seoul, is delivering a congratulatory speech at the "20th Asia Construction Comprehensive Awards" held at the Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul on September 24, 2025. Photo by Jinhyung Kang

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Deputy Mayor Kim stated, "Seoul is making various efforts to realize 'Smart Seoul' in line with these trends. We are introducing technologies such as BIM (Building Information Modeling) and IoT (Internet of Things), utilizing drones for safety, and implementing a video record management system to promote transparent and systematic site management."

He added, "Your role in building the future of Korea on the front lines is more important than ever. As global competition intensifies, our construction industry needs a spirit of innovation, challenge, and mutual growth to make another leap forward."

Jang Beomsik, CEO of Asia Economy, said, "Although there is a sense of contraction in the industry due to recent accidents at some sites, we should not view the future of the construction industry too pessimistically. This is because the construction industry is not only responsible for a significant portion of national employment, but also bears a heavy responsibility for establishing the infrastructure of various industries, such as artificial intelligence-based high-tech industries and next-generation power grids, which are considered future growth engines." He continued, "I ask everyone to continue to combine strength and wisdom for technology development, innovative management activities, and, above all, safe worksites."

Jang Beomsik, CEO of Asia Economy, is delivering a greeting at the "20th Asia Construction Awards" held at the Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul on September 24, 2025. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

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