"Crisis in the Construction Industry, Need for Introduction of Work Real-Name System and Talent Development Efforts"

Construction Industry Vision Forum 20th Anniversary Seminar Held

A proposal has been raised to introduce a work accountability system at domestic civil engineering sites, including apartments, similar to those at nuclear power plant (NPP) construction sites.

On the 6th, attendees are taking a commemorative photo at the "20th Anniversary Seminar of the Construction Industry Vision Forum" held at the Korea Science and Technology Center in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. From the left: Seongwoo Lee, former president of Kookmin University; Pilsun Jeong, CEO of Green Donghyun; Sangho Lee, advisor at Yulchon LLC; Soohyun Jeong, former president of Hyundai Engineering & Construction; Changsik Choi, president of the Architectural Institute of Korea; Seungwoo Park, chairman of Dohwa Engineering; Hyunsoo Lee, co-representative of the Construction Industry Vision Forum; Seongyu Kim, chairman of Hoban Group; Taesik Lee, president of the Korea Federation of Science and Technology Societies; Ho-in Kang, co-representative of the Construction Industry Vision Forum; Jonghun Kim, chairman of HanmiGlobal; Seunggi Park, president of the Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement; Boknam Lee, special research fellow at Seoul National University; Taeo Kim, director of the Technology Policy Division at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport; Geunbae Kim, president of HanmiGlobal; Kanghoon Lee, president of the Korea Overseas Infrastructure & Urban Development Corporation (KIND); Kyungsoo Lee, vice president of Samsung C&T. / Photo by HanmiGlobal

On the afternoon of the 6th, Lee Bok-nam, Special Research Fellow at the Seoul National University Construction Environment Comprehensive Research Institute, stated at the 20th anniversary seminar of the Construction Industry Vision Forum held at the Korea Science and Technology Center in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, under the theme "Digital in Construction," "Is it possible to achieve zero unexpected safety accidents if given ample time and money? With the current structure, it is impossible," expressing this view.

Lee, the special research fellow, said, "The market is well aware of the structural problems," adding, "If the government leads, additional regulations will be imposed. The private sector must take the initiative first."

He emphasized that "NPP construction sites do not experience defects because responsibilities are clearly distinguished based on the work accountability system," and stressed the need to benchmark this. Although the work accountability system is currently implemented at civil engineering sites, there are criticisms that the scope of responsibility is vague.

It is reported that Lee also presented this opinion at the "Construction Industry Normalization Task Force (TF) Meeting" held at the Construction Hall on the morning of the same day. The TF meeting was led by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT), and Minister Won Hee-ryong plans to announce construction industry innovation measures next month, reflecting expert opinions.

Other seminar participants also expressed concern over the construction industry's comprehensive crisis and agreed that a reorganization of roles in response to changing times is urgent.

Kang Ho-in, co-representative of the Construction Industry Vision Forum and former Minister of MOLIT, said, "There is no future for the construction industry if we respond with punishment and regulation every time a problem arises," adding, "Innovative and fundamental measures are needed to solve issues such as labor shortages, safety accidents, and quality degradation."

Kim Jong-hoon, chairman of HanmiGlobal, and Park Seung-woo, chairman of Dohwa Engineering, who participated in the discussion, respectively emphasized the activation of construction project management (PM) and improvement of engineers' treatment. In particular, Chairman Park stated that the order evaluation system, which has deteriorated to focus on price, should be changed to a technology-centered system to prevent the downward leveling of technical skills.

In the keynote presentation, Park Seung-gi, president of the Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement, who proposed the "Nexus City," viewed the present as the right time for innovation. Park said, "Intelligent infrastructure will pave the way, and civil engineering and architectural engineering must lead," adding, "National research and development (R&D) should be utilized."

Amid the trend of digital transformation, the need for "integrated personnel" also emerged. Lee Kyung-soo, vice president of Samsung Construction, said, "Considering architecture and civil engineering as the main forces of the construction industry, if the new generation also possesses basic developer skills, companies will regard them as more valuable talents." Lee Hyun-soo, co-representative of the Construction Industry Vision Forum, and Jung Soo-hyun, former president of Hyundai Construction, emphasized industry-academia-research cooperation and suggested continuous efforts to nurture talent for the construction industry.