Minister Won Hee-ryong of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Visits Dunchon Jugong Site... "Order Will Be Delivered by Tomorrow"
Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong visited the Dunchon Jugong reconstruction construction site in Gangdong-gu, Seoul on the 30th to inspect disruptions in the supply of construction materials caused by the Cargo Solidarity's collective transport refusal. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Min-young] On the 30th, Won Hee-ryong, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, visited the Dunchon Jugong reconstruction site in Seoul to inspect the damage caused by the suspension of ready-mixed concrete (remicon) supply and discuss countermeasures.
At the meeting, Minister Won Hee-ryong, the Korea Housing Association, Hyundai Construction, the site manager, and prospective residents attended. The site manager of Dunchon Jugong, who attended the meeting, stated, "Currently, the framework construction is underway, but since the remicon supply was suspended from November 25, only some rebar and formwork work is being carried out," adding, "If the suspension of remicon pouring prolongs, the construction will inevitably come to a complete halt."
Due to the Cargo Solidarity's collective transport refusal continuing since the 24th, cement shipments have decreased to less than 10% of normal levels, and with the cement supply cut off, nationwide remicon production also dropped to about 8% of usual levels as of the 29th, effectively halting remicon supply to construction sites.
Accordingly, remicon pouring has been suspended at 577 sites (59%) out of 985 sites nationwide operated by 46 construction companies, and if the transport refusal prolongs, most construction sites are expected to suffer damage.
In particular, in housing construction sites, construction has been halted at 200 sites nationwide, and an additional 128 sites are expected to stop construction this week, raising concerns about increased damage to prospective residents.
Furthermore, the suspension of construction work is expected to have a ripple effect, including job losses for daily construction workers and damage to related industries such as manufacturing, architecture, electrical, and firefighting sectors.
A representative of the prospective residents said, "We have already suffered significant damage due to prolonged construction suspension caused by construction cost disputes, and if additional damage occurs due to the Cargo Solidarity's transport refusal causing construction delays, residents will find it difficult to bear," adding, "We hope the government will actively respond so that construction can resume as soon as possible."
Minister Won said, "The government has issued an order to commence work to cement transporters and is requesting their return to work through transport companies," adding, "Since many transporters are participating in cement transportation today as well, if the order is delivered without delay by tomorrow, logistics will recover rapidly, and construction sites are expected to normalize promptly."
Minister Won urged, "The government will strictly respond according to law and principles to illegal acts such as transport obstruction by the Cargo Solidarity," and requested, "We ask all cement transporters to return to work promptly."
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