The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on the 20th that it will hold the 'Legal Measurement National Proposal Contest' in collaboration with the Korean Association of Measuring and Testing. The aim is to allow citizens to directly propose devices among the measuring instruments used in daily life that have insufficient accuracy and reliability, determining that they require national oversight.
The contest period is approximately six weeks, from July 21 to August 29, and anyone from the public can participate. Various cases can be submitted, such as instances where different weight scale readings at hospitals caused confusion in accurate prescriptions, issues in furniture arrangement due to tape measure errors, and cases where the capacity of a beer glass marked as 500cc differed from the actual amount.
The National Standards Agency noted, 'Despite the increasing sophistication and diversity of measuring instruments, we planned the contest to supplement the current situation where only 13 types of legal measuring instruments exist.'
The current legal measuring instruments include ▲general electronic scales ▲weights for scales ▲city gas meters ▲water meters ▲hot water meters ▲oil meters ▲fuel dispensers ▲urea water meters ▲LPG meters ▲snow depth tanks ▲heating use measuring devices ▲electric meters ▲electric vehicle chargers. The 13 types of measuring instruments will be excluded from the proposals in this contest.
The National Standards Agency aims to reflect the demand for new legal measuring instruments in the system through public proposals, responding to the changing industrial and living environments. Once designated as a legal measuring instrument, the government will continuously verify and manage its accuracy and conformity through formal approval, testing, and post-management.
Those who wish to participate can submit their proposals, stating the subject of the proposal and the reason why the device needs to be designated as a legal measuring instrument, through 'Intelligent Measuring Instrument Distribution Management System,' 'ThinkGood,' or 'Government 24.' Outstanding proposers will receive awards along with the Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Award and the Director of the National Standards Agency Award.
Kim Dae-ja, the Director of the National Standards Agency, said, 'Accurate measurement is an important foundation that supports the daily lives and safety of citizens and ensures fair transactions,' adding, 'I hope that citizens' experiences and ideas will lead to policy improvements.'