Key Roles in Electricity Tariff Reform and Strengthening the Independence of the Commission
Pro-Renewable and Anti-Nuclear Activists, Pro-Government Legal Professionals Included
Professor Changseop Kim of Gachon University, newly appointed as Chairman of the Electricity Commission. Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment
On December 24, the government announced the appointment of five new members to the Electricity Commission, including Changseop Kim, Professor of Electrical Engineering at Gachon University, who will serve as the new Chairman of the Electricity Commission.
The newly appointed members include Professor Changseop Kim of Gachon University, Professor Seungho Song of the Department of Electrical Engineering at Kwangwoon University representing the electrical engineering field, Kwanghoon Seok, Senior Fellow at the Energy Transition Forum for the energy sector, and Chunhee Kim, Attorney at Dasan Law Firm, and Jongyoung Hong, Attorney at Parang Law Firm, for the legal sector.
The term for the newly appointed members of the Electricity Commission will run until December 2028. The Electricity Commission consists of eight members: seven non-standing members, including the Chairman, and one standing member (Wonju Lee, Director General for Energy Policy at the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment). The terms for Yoonkyung Kim, Professor of Economics at Ewha Womans University, and Seohye Lee, CEO of E-Consumer, who were appointed in June 2024, will run until June 2027. (See the article from November 18, <The Empowered Electricity Commission, Its Color Is Changing Too>)
Professor Changseop Kim of Gachon University holds both a bachelor's and a doctorate in electrical engineering from Seoul National University and is recognized as an energy expert, having previously served as President of the Korea Energy Agency. Chairman Kim is expected to play a central role in the process of reforming the electricity tariff and power market systems.
At the presidential work briefing on December 17, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment stated, "We will strengthen the independence of the Electricity Commission by granting it the authority to determine electricity tariffs based on objective cost verification." The government also emphasized its plan to establish a Power Supervisory Agency under the Electricity Commission to reinforce ongoing and systematic oversight functions, including monitoring market fairness, supervising power grid stability, and verifying tariff costs.
Seungho Song, Professor of Electrical Engineering at Kwangwoon University
Professor Seungho Song of Kwangwoon University earned both his bachelor's and doctoral degrees from Seoul National University. He has served as Vice President of the Korean Wind Energy Association and as a non-standing director at the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning.
It is also noteworthy that among the newly appointed members of the Electricity Commission, there are several activists in the pro-renewable energy and nuclear phase-out fields, as well as legal professionals with pro-government leanings, including those associated with President Lee Jaemyung.
Kwanghoon Seok, Senior Fellow at the Energy Transition Forum
Commissioner Kwanghoon Seok graduated from the Department of Business Administration at Sungkyunkwan University and earned a doctorate in Science and Technology Policy from the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom. He currently serves as a non-standing auditor at the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety. Commissioner Seok is also known as a prominent nuclear phase-out activist.
Chunhee Kim, Attorney at Dasan Law Firm
Commissioner Chunhee Kim graduated from the Department of Sociology at Seoul National University and has served as a non-standing member of the National Veterans Review Committee and as a member of the Gyeonggi-do Personnel Committee. In 2024, Commissioner Kim represented President Lee Jaemyung (then leader of the Democratic Party of Korea) in the third-party bribery trial related to the "Ssangbangwool illegal remittance to North Korea" case.
Commissioner Jongyoung Hong graduated from the Department of Law at Hanyang University and is a member of the Chungbuk Bar Association. He previously served as a director of the Air Force Academy Education Promotion Foundation. In 2022, Commissioner Hong was active in the Candidate Nomination Management Committee of the Democratic Party of Korea's Chungnam Provincial Party, which was chaired at the time by Kang Hoonshik, the current Chief Presidential Secretary. Parang Law Firm, where Commissioner Hong works, also represented President Lee in the illegal remittance to North Korea case.
An official from the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment stated, "As the newly appointed members represent diverse fields such as electrical engineering, energy, and law, they are expected to play a significant role not only in the sound development of the power industry and the enhancement of consumer benefits, but also in strengthening the independence of the Electricity Commission, based on their extensive experience and expertise."
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