District Heating Corp President Nominee: "I Will Prevent the Sale of Mirae Development Institute" (Comprehensive)

Reviewing the 'Job Performance Plan' of the District Heating Corporation President Nominee

Former Liberty Korea Party floor leader Na Kyung-won (right) is talking with former Liberty Korea Party lawmaker Jeong Yong-gi (left) at an emergency party meeting held in the Rodendor Hall in front of the National Assembly plenary session hall on December 3, 2019. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

[Asia Economy Sejong=Reporter Dongwoo Lee, Sejong=Reporter Junhyung Lee] It has been revealed that Jeong Yong-gi, the former Liberty Korea Party lawmaker who has been nominated as the new president of Korea District Heating Corporation, stated in his job performance plan submitted during the hiring process that he would prevent the sale of the Yongin Future Development Center in Gyeonggi Province. Additionally, Jeong’s job performance plan was limited to listing the corporation’s history and management philosophy.

According to materials submitted by Korea District Heating Corporation to the office of Democratic Party lawmaker Jeong Il-young on the 15th, Jeong recently wrote a five-page job performance plan on A4 paper during the hiring process. In the plan, Jeong stated, “I understand that the sale of the corporation’s Future Development Center is being considered as a measure to improve financial soundness,” and added, “Upon assuming the presidency, I will actively consult with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Ministry of Economy and Finance to try to avoid the sale of the Future Development Center.”

The Future Development Center is a facility used by Korea District Heating Corporation for research and education purposes. Following the government’s ‘public institution slimming’ policy, the corporation recently decided to sell the entire Yongin Future Development Center site and buildings, covering 31,686 square meters (approximately 9,585 pyeong). The expected sale price reported to the government is about 40.2 billion KRW.

Part of the work plan of Jeong Yong-gi, former Liberty Korea Party lawmaker, who has been appointed as the new president of Korea District Heating Corporation.
[Photo by Jeong Il-young, Office of the Democratic Party of Korea]

"Sale of Future Development Center Could Disrupt R&D"

Jeong expressed concerns that selling the Future Development Center could lead to a decline in research and development (R&D) outcomes. In his job performance plan, he stated, “The sale of the Future Development Center raises concerns about setbacks in essential R&D achievements necessary for carbon neutrality and the long-term growth of Korea District Heating Corporation.” This effectively opposes the corporation’s plan to sell the center by 2026.

However, the vision and management strategies presented by Jeong in the job performance plan were limited to adding the word ‘efficiency’ to existing materials from the heating corporation. Furthermore, half of the first page of the five-page plan was filled with the corporation’s history and management environment.

In the ‘Management Goals and Strategies’ section, Jeong simply listed the existing management goals of Korea District Heating Corporation and added ‘development of efficiency indicators.’ Regarding the ‘Management Strategy Directions and Tasks,’ he gave a general response, stating that he would “do his best.”

Jeong’s proposed ‘Plans for Promoting Efficiency’ also followed the management efficiency measures promoted by the Yoon Suk-yeol administration’s Ministry of Economy and Finance. He listed the Ministry’s measures such as ▲asset sales ▲postponement of investment plans ▲personnel and organizational efficiency, and reiterated that he would “do his best.”

Part of the work plan of Jeong Yong-gi, former Liberty Korea Party lawmaker, appointed as the new president of Korea District Heating Corporation.
[Photo by Jeong Il-young, Office of the Democratic Party of Korea]

Active in Yoon’s Campaign During Last Presidential Election

Some view the job performance plan as evidence of Jeong’s lack of expertise. Jeong served as a member of the 19th and 20th National Assembly and worked as a standing political advisor in Yoon Suk-yeol’s campaign during the last presidential election, but he is considered to have little connection to the energy sector. Lawmaker Jeong pointed out, “The biggest issue is that Jeong lacks experience and expertise related to energy,” adding, “Given the global intensification of the energy crisis, a person with sufficient management ability and power generation expertise is needed.”

Similarly, Choi Yeon-hye, the former Liberty Korea Party lawmaker nominated as the new president of Korea Gas Corporation, was found to have submitted a job performance plan during hiring that was essentially a patchwork of introduction materials from the gas corporation’s website. Recently, a newly appointed outside director at Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power resigned after it was revealed that their self-introduction lacked any experience related to nuclear power generation or the electric power industry.

Meanwhile, Korea District Heating Corporation plans to hold a shareholders’ meeting on the 18th to appoint Jeong as the new president. The president’s term is three years, with an annual salary of about 200 million KRW.