Parks Pilsoon: "Let's Make Gwangju a City Without Briquettes"

"Coal Briquette Supply and Additional Support for Coal Prices 'Anachronistic'"
Pointed out during Gwangju City Council plenary session '5-minute speech'

Park Pil-soon, a member of the Gwangju City Council, is delivering a '5-minute speech' at the city council plenary session on the 1st. [Photo by Gwangju City Council]

Park Pil-soon, a member of the Gwangju City Council (Democratic Party of Korea·Gwangsan 3), proposed on the 1st during the city council plenary session's '5-minute speech' to "create a coal briquette-free city of Gwangju."

Recently, following the closure of the Hwasun coal mine that supplied coal briquettes to the region, Namseon Coal Briquette, the last coal briquette factory in Gwangju, also shut down, resulting in the necessary coal briquettes being transported from other regions such as Jeonju and Gyeongju. In response, Gwangju City is providing additional financial support for coal briquettes to vulnerable groups using coal briquettes to reduce the burden caused by increased logistics costs.

Regarding this, Councilor Park pointed out, "While the era is moving towards decarbonization, Gwangju City still remains stuck in the past," and added, "Putting aside the increasing logistics cost burden, coal briquettes generate carbon, carbon monoxide, and fine dust, which threaten the health of citizens."

She continued, "Support should be provided to establish heating systems utilizing eco-friendly energy," and urged, "It is time to abandon outdated policies and adopt new energy policies suitable for the decarbonization and climate crisis era."

Councilor Park stated, "Future industries in Gwangju such as AI, semiconductors, and automobiles require enormous amounts of electricity," and emphasized, "We must increase investments in improving energy efficiency in industrial complexes and companies, and rapidly expand RE100 and ESG management through support for renewable energy power generation facilities."

Meanwhile, Councilor Park proposed policies including △Declaration of a coal briquette-free city of Gwangju △Strengthening support for energy-vulnerable groups △Expanding citizen-participatory energy transition △Promoting energy efficiency in the industrial sector and introduction of renewable energy.