There was a reaction of 'regret' during the ruling party's Supreme Council meeting regarding the government's reorganization plan to transfer the energy functions of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy to the Ministry of Environment and create a Ministry of Climate, Environment, and Energy.
Lee An-joo, a Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party of Korea, pointed out during the Supreme Council meeting of the Democratic Party held in the National Assembly on the 8th that "The members of the Presidential Committee on Policy Planning who created this reorganization plan must know that energy is electric, and that industrial electricity rates are industrial costs, so I am very regretful as to why such an important issue is being pushed forward so hastily."
The Supreme Council member stated, "There is a significant regret if there had been a public discussion process to hear the opinions of industries, which are currently seriously experiencing difficulties due to declining energy cost competitiveness in strategic industries like AI, semiconductors, and batteries, as well as steel, petrochemicals, and advanced manufacturing, and the labor sector, which is facing a survival crisis as a result."
She continued, "Transferring energy, which is key to industrial competitiveness, to the Ministry of Environment, a regulatory department, is significant, but to leave resource and nuclear power exports with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy makes me feel that it's an idea that does not understand industrial sites and reality. I want to ask what the Ministry of Climate, Environment, and Energy will prioritize between fostering and expanding offshore wind power generation and regulating marine pollution."
He said, "There will be LNG purchasing negotiations with the United States, and I want to ask if this is indeed an energy issue, a resource issue, and which department will handle it," adding, "Although the Ministry of Environment claims it can take charge of industrial promotion, many cases of failure have occurred in the past due to this approach."
The Supreme Council member emphasized, "The push to promote electric buses and electric vehicles led the Ministry of Environment to provide subsidies, significantly boosting Chinese electric vehicles and buses, as a person from corporations and due to the fact that the issue is tied to Korea's economic driving force and future, as well as electricity rates affecting the people's livelihood, I will do my best to correct and supplement related proposals, and to ensure that the energy functions that must support industry do not go in the wrong direction in the future."