Relaxation of Experience Requirements for Specialized Personnel in Hot Spring Inspection Agencies
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced on the 15th that it has approved the 'Partial Amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the Hot Spring Act' at the Cabinet meeting to ease the registration criteria for specialized hot spring inspection agencies.
Specialized hot spring inspection agencies are institutions that inspect the temperature, components, and appropriate extraction volume of hot springs for proper protection and efficient development. They must have specialized personnel (at least 4) with certain experience and equipment, and be registered with the Minister of the Interior and Safety. The current registration criteria require some specialized personnel to have 5 years of experience, making it difficult for new companies to register.
Accordingly, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety will amend the Enforcement Decree of the Hot Spring Act to relax the experience requirement for specialized personnel in hot spring inspection agencies from 5 years to 2 years and include qualified technicians in related fields as specialized personnel. It is expected that the easing of registration criteria for specialized hot spring inspection agencies will increase the number of newly registered companies. Additionally, when hiring specialized personnel at these agencies, it is anticipated that securing excellent talent will become easier.
Meanwhile, new penalty standards for each violation will be established, such as imposing a fine of 5 million won for failure to restore hot spring wells to their original condition. Furthermore, the procedures, methods, and exceptions for restoring hot spring wells will be specifically regulated, and the upper limit of water quality inspection fees will be adjusted due to an increase in water quality inspection items.
Park Seong-ho, Director of the Local Autonomy and Decentralization Office, stated, “With this amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the Hot Spring Act, the increase in specialized hot spring inspection agencies is expected to broaden the selection options for inspection agencies for hot spring development and utilization companies.” He added, “We will cooperate with local governments and related organizations to thoroughly preserve hot spring resources and activate differentiated hot spring policies that consider the history and components of hot springs by region.”
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