Minister Seo Seung-hwan Emphasizes 'Construction Safety and Regulatory Reform'

Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Seo Seung-hwan held a meeting with specialized and equipment construction industry representatives on the 8th to discuss regulatory reform, hear concerns from the industry, and stress the importance of construction safety and regulatory reform to the construction sector.

At the meeting, Minister Seo said, "While the construction industry is currently facing difficulties, positive signs are emerging such as recent increases in construction orders," and added, "We are promoting measures including abolishing the excess profit recovery system for reconstruction to normalize the housing market."

He continued, "Overseas construction has secured $24 billion in orders through April, a 50 percent increase from last year," and pledged, "The government will provide multifaceted support to achieve $70 billion in orders this year."

Minister Seo expressed regret over incidents threatening public safety, such as the "Sewol Ferry Disaster."

To prevent similar incidents from recurring, Minister Seo called on the construction industry to enhance safety awareness by strengthening safety training for construction workers.

He stated, "The government is prioritizing safety as its top agenda and is currently implementing measures including safety inspections of hazardous facilities and preparations of emergency response manuals."

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is also leading government-wide regulatory reform efforts being promoted strongly, including introducing its own total point management system for regulations, he said.

Minister Seo promised, "In the construction sector, we will reasonably improve the standards for capital registration, such as recognizing construction payments received as capital for a certain period."