Gyeonggi Province Launches Dedicated Task Force for Urea Solution Response…Securing Supply and Managing Mid-to-Long-Term Demand

[Suwon Ilbo=Park No-hun Reporter] Gyeonggi Province has formed a dedicated task force to minimize socioeconomic damage from the urea solution shortage and is preparing countermeasures.

On the 15th, Gyeonggi Province held the "First Urea Solution Response Task Force Meeting" at the Gyeonggi Province Government Office Disaster Situation Room, attended by Acting Governor Oh Byung-kwon, key officials from various departments and bureaus, and vice heads of 31 cities and counties.

Acting Governor Oh Byung-kwon stated, "Regarding the urea solution shortage, Gyeonggi Province held an emergency agenda review meeting on the 8th to assess the situation, and is mobilizing a whole-of-government response system including government emergency supply adjustment measures for an all-out response." He added, "Based on sector-specific task forces, we need to develop response measures, gather cooperation and suggestions from cities and counties, and prioritize resolving the urgent supply issues so that the urea solution shortage can be resolved as quickly as possible."

The formation of this dedicated task force is a measure to develop short-term urea solution procurement plans and mid-to-long-term supply and demand management strategies at the provincial level.

The task force is led by the Acting Governor with the Director of Economy overseeing overall operations, and consists of five teams: ▲Economy & Industry Team ▲Environment & Inspection Team ▲Traffic & Transportation Team ▲Cargo & Logistics Team ▲Agriculture & Fire Service Team.

At this meeting, current conditions and response plans for each sector were discussed. In the economic and industrial sector, the province is first identifying the status of urea solution producers and sales outlets (distribution dealers, etc.) in the region, and plans to support distribution channels for imported urea solution.

The province also plans to conduct field visits to gather opinions on difficulties faced by producers and submit recommendations to the government.

For the mid-to-long term, since 3,941 items (31.3%) out of 12,586 Korean import items have over 80% dependence on specific countries, the province decided to support mid-to-long-term technology development for localizing essential imported items for companies in the region.

In the transportation sector, the province plans to identify urea solution inventory levels and measures among bus and taxi companies in the region, and establish regional and route-specific transport measures in preparation for operational disruptions.

For cargo vehicles and fire engines, the province will identify logistics transport situations in cities and counties and conduct intensive management, such as adjusting inventory levels at each fire department through the Fire and Disaster Management Headquarters, while continuously securing urea solution through manufacturers, dealers, and gas stations.

The urea solution response task force plans to hold regular meetings weekly and hold ad-hoc meetings when issues arise, preparing and implementing effective short and mid-to-long-term response measures based on an organic cooperation system.